Destined for Greatness
by slowmotion05
Summary: Beacon Academy: home to the lovable, albeit dangerous, team RWBY and their fellow classmates, team JNPR. When they make fast friends with a new team of transfer students, their lives become far more interesting than they ever could have hoped. As they spend more time together and grow closer, secrets are revealed and sides are drawn. Who can they truly call "friend?"
1. Chapter 1

Autumn in Vale had just begun. Forests dotted the landscape; the sea of green was punctuated by orange, yellow and red. The cool fall breeze brushed against the branches and leaves, swaying them gently. An airship streaked through the early morning sky, headed toward a massive tower surrounded by a large city.

The corridors of Beacon Academy were teeming with life as students made their way from their dorm rooms toward the assembly hall. The attendees chatted amongst themselves, waiting for whatever announcement the staff had planned to start. The four friends and huntresses-in-training that made up team RWBY filed into the immense theater together, along with the remaining students.

The auditorium was filled to the brim with prospective hunters and huntresses. The headmaster of the academy, a tall, thin, white-haired man named Ozpin, walked out onto the stage and stepped up to the microphone, followed by a little over thirty people, no older than the vast majority of those in attendance. However, nobody seemed to recognize them. He patiently waited until the last of the chatter died down. Once he was satisfied with the noise level, he cleared his throat and began, "As you know, this academy prides itself on its willingness to accept others from all walks of life, no matter your race, religion, creed or background. We have always strived to maintain a level of respect for everyone, be it teacher or student, human or Faunus. I bring this up is because we have a few special guests today," he gestured toward the strangers behind him. "These young men and women have come here looking to start anew and I ask that you treat them with the same respect that you show each other and your instructors. You will be able to get to know each and every one of them over the course of their stay. Help them feel welcome; treat them as if they have been here since the beginning. Thank you for your time. That will be all."

Yang Xiao Long nudged her sister with her elbow, "You hear that, Ruby? Fresh meat!" She exclaimed excitedly with a twinkle in her eye.

"Uh, yeah, sure, Sis, whatever you say," Ruby Rose smiled awkwardly. "Just promise me you won't go overboard again?"

"What are you talking about? When do I _ever_ go 'overboard'?" Yang retorted, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, remember when that guy bumped into you in the hall a few weeks back? You scared him so bad he peed himself," Ruby answered sheepishly.

"I was just messing with him. Besides, he should've been able to handle it. He wants to become a hunter, right?" The blonde claimed defensively.

"Or that other time when you beat up Marcos so bad, he actually pays you to avoid him?"

"He doesn't pay me!" Yang exclaimed.

Blake Belladonna stopped next to her friend. "Ruby has a point," The blonde glared at the faunus. "What? She does," She stated simply, shrugging her shoulders. Ruby smiled triumphantly and stuck her tongue out at her sister.

"You're not even part of this conversation, Blake," Yang muttered grumpily as she flicked her sister in the forehead.

Blake rolled her eyes at her, "You know she's right. You're a bit of a show off."

"I am not!" Yang crossed her arms in front of her chest, playfully pouting.

"Yes, you are," sniped the team's fourth and final member as she passed by before spinning on her heel to face her friends. "Now, let's go. We'll be late for class," she finished, briskly whirling back around to begin marching away. Blake and Ruby followed the Ice Queen and walked past the blonde, the latter turning around to snicker at her sister. Yang scoffed and began jogging to catch up with her teammates.

The first class of the day for team RWBY was with the mustached hunter Professor Port. When the four friends walked in, they immediately recognized the three people lined up in front of the class as being from the assembly. There was a female and two men. "Now, it seems we have a few guests for today's class. Would you three be so kind as to introduce yourselves and name where you're from?" The professor started jovially, gesturing toward the girl.

She looked down and shifted her weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. She was somewhat small in stature; she wore no identifiable uniform. Instead, she sported a black jacket, a white sweater and a pair of jeans. She had long brown hair that she draped around one shoulder and piercing blue eyes. "My name's Yarri Morez. I was born here in Vale, but chose to attend Atlas. I didn't like being so far from home so I decided to transfer back," she added a nervous giggle before giving the class a quick informal bow of her head.

"Gail Holt. I'm from Mistral, born and raised," the first man stated. He had thick, shaggy, jet black, his eyes were a vibrant green, and he had a small scar on his bottom lip. He was average height and, while was by no means ripped, he had a fair amount of muscle hidden slightly behind his uniform. He wore glasses and a Haven uniform.

"I'm Barrett Unger. I was born in Atlas, but moved to Mistral when I was thirteen," he finished, offering the class a friendly wave. He too wore a uniform from Haven. However, his blazer was unbuttoned, and his sleeves were rolled up. He had dark skin, and had blonde hair that was shaved down close to his head. He was a pretty intimidating fellow, his height was unrivaled by just about everyone in the room and he sported broad shoulders.

"Excellent, thank you all very much for sharing," Professor Port interjected appreciatively, slapping the two men on the back, before facing the the bespectacled one. "You know, I once knew a Gail. I met him on a mission many years ago..." the professor began. The class audibly groaned, but it did nothing to deter him. Gail and Barrett just smiled awkwardly; they were unsure of what was truly happening. They were just trying their best to placate the short and stocky hunter.

"Anyways, I managed to wrestle it to the ground, holding it still so he could get everything ready. Before it knew what happened, I valiantly tossed it in, ignoring the bites and scratches. And that, is the story of how I helped him wash his cat," the professor finished his overly-long, drawn out story dramatically. He didn't seem to notice the complete lack of investment from his students. Gail had fallen asleep next to the teacher, still standing upright. Barrett and Yarri were seated cross-legged on the floor beside them, playing rock, paper, scissors. The rest of the class paid about as much attention, opting instead to do something more exciting, like napping or watching grass grow through the classroom window. "I appreciate you three listening to one of my stories. Should you choose to attend this school, I can assure you, you will get another opportunity to be regaled," Professor Port boasted proudly with a hearty laugh, slapping the sleeping form on the back again, jolting him awake. "Now, would you please take your seats? I must start my class."

Gail yawned and stretched exaggeratedly, waiting for the other two to pass him before following them up the stairs. When they sat down, Gail whispered to Barrett, "Wow, that guy loves the sound of his own voice."

"No kidding. I didn't think anyone could make a story about giving a cat a bath more boring than it already is," he retorted. The two of them snickered to themselves.

"Now, students, today we'll be learning about Grimm weak points: where they are, how to hit them, and, most importantly, what it-," the mustached man was cut off by the bell, signaling the end of the lesson. Everyone in the room all but bolted out, leaving behind a few pieces of paper that gently floated to the ground.

Outside the classroom, Gail and Barrett continued making rude and juvenile jokes at the expense of the mustached hunter when they realized they had no idea where they were going next. They checked their schedule. "Professor Bartholomew Oobleck," it read, followed by the room number, which didn't help much. They knew the name and the class, but not how to get there. Gail turned around and approached the first person he saw: a short girl with deep red hair. "Excuse me, Miss, but could you help us out?" He asked hopefully.

"Uh, sure, what do you need?" She responded cheerily, if a bit awkwardly.

Gail handed her his schedule, "Do you know where this class is?"

"Oh, yeah, that's Professor Oobleck's class. He teaches history. I can show you where it is, if you want."

"That'd be great. My name's Gail, by the way," he introduced himself.

"Ruby Rose," she offered enthusiastically.

"Barrett, good to meet you. We appreciate the help. Um, I don't want to be rude, but you seem a little young to attend here," Barrett pointed out.

"Well, that's 'cause I skipped a few years. You see, I was going to Signal- it's a combat school here in Vale- and I managed to stop a dust store robbery," she began. The two older students glanced at each other as she rambled. "Long story short, Professor Ozpin decided to let me-," she was cut off by a blonde with gold bracelets walking up to her and dropping a hand on her shoulder, who was followed by a girl with black hair and a ribbon on top of her head and a white haired girl with icy blue eyes.

"There you are, Ruby, you disappeared back there," the white haired girl said, somewhat irritated.

"Sorry about that. These guys wanted to ask me something," Ruby explained.

"Hey, my name's Barrett. This is Gail," Barrett introduced them.

"Weiss Schnee, nice to meet you," she offered, switching from irritated to professional rather abruptly.

"Yang," the blonde stated casually.

"Blake," the black haired girl offered reservedly.

Gail took a quick glance at his scroll and noticed the time. "Hey, Barrett," he interjected, tapping his friend on the shoulder to get his attention, "I hate to cut the introductions short, but we're going be late. Do you mind showing us where 'Professor Oobleck's' classroom is, Ruby?"

"We're all part of the same team, actually. That's our next class. You guys wanna follow us?" Yang offered.

Ruby gasped, causing everyone to look at her questioningly. "We can be your guides!" She squealed excitedly.

"Yeah, if you want to," Barrett accepted, chuckling at the young girl's outburst. "We have no idea where we're going."

"Sure, it's no trouble at all," Weiss reassured them.

"Alright then, we appreciate it," Gail nodded gratefully. "Lead the way."

The group was the last to arrive since Ruby insisted on taking the "scenic route." Team RWBY took their seats while, just like last time, Yarri, Gail and Barrett took their places at the front of the class. "Attention, students, we have some guests here today. Why don't you three introduce yourselves," the high strung man they hesitated to call a teacher ordered. Just like last time, they offered up their names and origins. However, this time, the professor barely let them finish a sentence before moving on to the next person. "Excellent! Now, please, sit down," he demanded after they were finished, before continuing on with his lesson. "Now, who can tell me why Mistral and Mantle came to the conclusion of abolishing all forms of self-expression, and why?"

Finally, Professor Oobleck's class came to an end. Team RWBY and their two tag-alongs stepped out of the classroom, but they were joined by three of the four members of team JNPR. "Hey, guys," a blond hunter began, waving as he approached. He looked at the two transfers. "Oh, you're the new guys, right?"

"Yeah, name's Gail," he offered, extending his hand.

"Jaune Arc, maybe you heard of me?" Jaune boasted in what he thought was a suave voice. He positioned one arm across his chest and placed the other on top, vertically, in a refined manner. When neither Gail nor Barrett spoke up, he started flexing in a variety of poses, "I'm one of the strongest fighters in Beacon, so please, hold your applause. I'll sign autographs later."

Weiss and Blake dropped their heads into their palms as Yang wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him into a tight headlock. "Easy there, killer. You don't want to scare these guys away already, do you?" The lavender-eyed huntress sniped humorously.

"Hey! Yang, Let go of me!" Jaune exclaimed, attempting, in vain, to pull himself out of her grip.

"I'm Nora, but you can just call me Nora," the orange haired huntress blurted out as she stepped a bit too close to Barrett as he would have liked.

"Uh, ok, I'll keep that in mind," Barrett replied with a confused laugh and took a small step back.

"My name is Ren, it's a pleasure to meet you both," the other black haired hunter offered politely, shaking Gail's hand.

"You can just call him Ren," Nora interjected as she leaned on his shoulder.

"Nora," Ren started.

"Yes, Ren?" She asked innocently.

"What else would they call me?"

"I dunno, but now they won't call you anything else!" She exclaimed.

Gail and Barrett looked at each other. They certainly were interesting characters. When the last team member of JNPR finally exited the classroom and approached the group, the two new guys were hit with a wave of recognition. "Whoa, you're Pyrrha Nikos!" Gail shouted excitedly, completely star-struck.

"Uh, yes, I am," she smiled awkwardly, caught off guard by the sudden greeting. "You two are the transfer students, right?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm Gail and this is Barrett," he scratched the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. "We're really big fans!" He finally exclaimed after he thought he had gained a bit of composure. Gail suddenly felt the sharp pain of Barrett's elbow colliding with his ribs. He clutched his side, groaning, and bent over to try and alleviate the pain.

"Please, Ms. Nikos, ignore him. He's not very bright," Barrett offered, ashamed of his friend's actions. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand as a peace offering.

"Just call me Pyrrha," she said as she took his hand. "Is he OK?"

"He'll be fine," Barrett waved off the question.

"If I do that again, you have permission to shoot me," he whispered to Barrett after he finally caught his breath, rubbing his still-aching side. He straightened up and turned back to Pyrrha, "Sorry about that."

"It's alright," she dismissed his apology. "Believe it or not, I've had more awkward interactions than this."

"I can only imagine," Barrett chuckled as the conversations lulled. "So, what's next?" He said finally, looking around at the other group members.

"It's actually time for lunch," Weiss said. Nora snapped to attention at the prospect of eating food.

"If you guys are ready, then, let's get down there," Gail suggested.

"Yeah, I'm starving," Ruby commented, rubbing her stomach.

"Let's stop talking and go get some grub, then!" Nora shouted before whirling around and skipping away excitedly.

The group followed suit and headed down to the lunch hall, catching up to Nora along the way. It was a sizable room that housed row after row of tables and benches. The walls were covered with massive bay windows that overlooked the school grounds. They got their lunches, found a spot that could fit all ten of them and sat down. They ate their lunches in silence momentarily, allowing Gail and Barrett a chance to take in the rather gothic architecture and general atmosphere. Finally, Pyrrha broke the silence. "What do you two think of it here?" She asked curiously.

"So far, so good," Gail answered with a shrug. "This seems like a nice place."

"Hey, I have to ask: are all your teachers as out there as Port and Oobleck?" Barrett inquired.

"They… can take some getting used to, but they really are great teachers," she replied, carefully choosing her words.

"You won't hear us deny that. Well, maybe that Port guy. He wasted the entire class period telling us a story about him washing a cat," Gail teased.

"Like I said, they take some getting used to," Pyrrha shook her head, still giggling from his remark.

"So, why are you guys thinking about transferring?" Ruby asked.

"Well, we weren't being challenged enough. Gail and I have pretty much spent our lives training, so when we got to Haven, we were already above the curve. We heard about Beacon's reputation for strong hunters so we thought we'd give it a shot," he pointed out, shooting Jaune a playful look.

"Where did you train?" Yang asked.

"My father was a big-shot hunter. He trained me and my brother almost non-stop, when he was home." Barrett interjected, taking a bite of his mashed potatoes.

"And I spent a lot of years going to training camps. My parents were also hunters, so I guess they were hoping I would become as strong as they were," Gail explained as he pushed the vegetables on his plate around with his fork.

As the others discussed different topics, Barrett turned to Weiss. "So, I never would've expected to see a Schnee heiress all the way out here. To be completely honest, not many people from Atlas even leave the region, especially not to move to Vale," Barrett remarked.

"Well, it's a small world, as they say. My sister stayed in Atlas and now works directly under General Ironwood," Weiss responded proudly.

"No kidding?" He whistled impressively.

"What about you? You said you were born in Atlas, right? Why did you leave?" She asked.

"Boring family stuff, mostly. Let's just say 'dysfunctional' is putting it lightly," he offered dismissively and somewhat somberly. Weiss nodded understandingly. "What about you? Why did you leave?"

"Same thing. My father isn't the easiest to get along with," she offered comfortingly.

Barrett thought a moment before responding, "That can't be easy."

"Nothing ever is, is it?" Weiss trailed off, looking down at her food.

They stayed quiet for a few moments before Barrett nudged her arm with his elbow. She looked back up at him. "Look at us," he teased as he shot her a warm smile, "moping about family when everyone else is having a good time. We're just a couple of sad-sacks."

"You're right. We should change the subject," Weiss nodded, adding a small laugh before turning back to the group.

Gail had taken a moment to admire Yang's gauntlets, impressed by her weapon design. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a pistol. He showed off the different types of ammunition he uses. "I can use ice rounds, explosive rounds, high impact, armor piercing, lots of options," he informed them, trying to avoid sounding like he was boasting as he pulled on the grip of the gun. It gave way, straightening out completely. A blade fired out of a compartment underneath the barrel, turning it into a sword. The blade itself was rather thin and had a sharp point, almost like a rapier. The sword had no hand guard either. He pressed a button on the side of the hilt, and another blade, identical to the first, shot out of the bottom of the hilt, creating a long, doubled-sided sword. "The gun barrel is still usable as the blades have a separate compartment that they slide into," he said, showing them the trigger on the underside of the hilt right above the grip.

Ruby was astonished by the versatility. "That's so cool!" She gushed.

"Thanks," he began, "but it's a bit annoying to use. This isn't a high end weapon, so I have to manually switch the different modes with all manner of buttons and switches. That's why I like your weapon design, Yang; beauty in simplicity."

"Well, what can I say?" She cocked one of her gauntlets smugly, "I'm awesome."

"What's its name?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, name?" Gail looked around, seeking clarification. When his eyes landed on Barrett, his friend only offered him a slight shrug. "I didn't know I was supposed to name it."

"Well, you don't _have_ to, but most of us named ours."

"Yeah, Gail, didn't know that?" Barrett teased. "Everyone names their weapons."

Gail shot him a scowl. "I guess I just never thought about it," he shrugged, "I don't even know what I'd name them."

"Well, you obviously need to name them something cool. I mean, if you don't, then we just won't associate with you ever again because you wouldn't be cool, making us uncool for knowing you," Nora spewed out. Everyone glared at her. "Uh, no pressure!" She offered finally, shooting Gail two thumbs-up.

"Right," Gail said under his breath, "no pressure."

After lunch was sparring practice. Everyone changed out of their uniforms and into their fighting garb. Gail changed into a gray jacket, a black t-shirt underneath, a pair of light brown cargo pants, and lightweight, but durable, sneakers. He had a shoulder holster that housed his pistol underneath his jacket. Barrett switched out his blazer for a long sleeve shirt and a pair of off-green military pants. He stuffed the cuff of his pants into his black combat boots.

Everyone had left to watch the fights except for the two transfer students. "Who would have thought that naming your weapons was a common practice?" Gail asked rhetorically, tightening his belt.

"Well, every school's got a 'thing', I guess," Barrett stated.

"Sure, but it just seems, I don't know… narcissistic," Gail commented.

"To each their own. What does it matter, anyway?"

Gail shrugged as he pulled his shirt over his head, "It doesn't, really. I was just thinking aloud, I guess." A quiet overtook them as they continued getting dressed, the sounds of muffled battle echoing.

"So, Gail," Barrett finally broke the silence, "what do you think of this place?" He had one leg propped up on a bench and was tightening the straps on his boots.

"It's nice, for a locker room, I guess," Gail joked. Barrett shot his friend an annoyed look. "What? I already answered this question at lunch."

"Well, sure, but I want an honest answer, not a bull one you gave just to be nice," Barrett replied, having finished what he was doing and turned around to sit on the bench to wait for his friend.

"My answer was honest. So far, impressions are good. But we've been here for less than a day. How about we wait until the end of the week to make a decision?" Gail suggested as he stepped over the bench onto the same side as Barrett. He set his jacket down next to him and seated himself. He leaned down and began tying his own shoes.

"I'm just getting a feel for things, you know?"

"I got it, man. I'm just busting your chops a little," he retorted, leaning over to tie his other shoe. "Listen, so far, I'm feeling good about this place. Good people, good environment, interesting teachers," he commented, earning a chuckle from Barrett. "I'm liking what I'm seeing. If this keeps up for the whole week, then we'll be golden." Gail finished and propped his elbows up on his knees. "What do you think? You and, uh, what's her name? White hair, scar over her eye," he snapped his fingers to try and jog his memory.

"Weiss?" Barrett corrected.

"Yeah, her. You two seem to be getting along."

"I guess," Barrett looked down at his feet, suddenly feeling very shy, "she's pretty cool. We've got some things in common. I could imagine being around her a lot more."

"Then we should be right as rain. But if something changes, we let each other know, okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Barrett agreed. "There's a reason why we're best friends." He extended his fist towards Gail, who bumped it with his own.

"Cool. So, you and Weiss, huh?" Gail teased.

"It's been less than a day. Let's wait until the end of the week to make a decision," Barrett deflected, using Gail's own words against him.

Gail shook his head humorously and laughed, "That's fair. Alright, let's get out there. A match has already started, and I want to know how we compare to everyone else." Gail stood up and slipped on his jacket. Barrett followed suit and they exited together.

They rejoined their new friends in the stands where they watched the ensuing battle attentively. Team RWBY was seated in the row second-from-the-top and three members from team JNPR were seated in the row below them. Gail sat down next to Yang and Barrett sat down next to him. "What took so long? You aren't secretly chicks, are you?" Yang sniped.

"We were just talking," Gail said, ignoring her attempted jab. "We got anyone good up?"

"I think you'll be pleased about who it is," she winked at him.

He looked down towards the arena to see who was fighting, "Why? Who's fight- OH MY GOD, ITS PYRRHA!" Gail shrieked excitedly as he saw the red-headed starlet battling it out with another student. Yang burst out laughing as just about everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared up at him, including the combatants. Barrett slapped him on the back of the head.

Gail cleared his throat and almost visibly shrank. After a few moments of awkward silence, the instructor, Glynda Goodwitch, regained order of the class and demanded the fighters continue. Yang turned to the young man, trying to regain control of her breath, "Wow, I wasn't expecting that." Gail's face turned beet red.

Pyrrha and her sparring partner clashed in the middle of the arena. Her opponent was putting her all into her offense, but was unable to land a blow. Pyrrha dodged and blocked the incoming attacks, counter-attacking when she saw an opening. She was easily breaking through her enemy's defense, chipping away at her aura. They disengaged momentarily. Pyrrha allowed the girl some breathing room as it gave her a chance to formulate a plan of attack. The other girl was breathing heavily; her aura had sunk into the yellows. She didn't know what she was going to do. She had neither the skill nor the speed to keep up with Pyrrha Nikos. She doubted anyone did.

Up in the stands, Gail watched the fight with intense focus. It took him a few moments to realize who Pyrrha was up against: the other transfer student, Yarri. She wielded a bow and arrow that she fired with deadly precision. Had she been up against anyone else, she would have fared far better, but she was unlucky enough to have Pyrrha Nikos as her opponent. She was surprisingly proficient in close quarters, even with just the bow. She had swapped her jacket and jeans for a black, hooded short-sleeve shirt that stopped just above her waistline and form fitting, beige pants, and lightweight boots that stopped halfway up her shin. She had a small deep blue scarf wrapped around her neck. Her top had a white zipper that led from the right side, underneath the scarf and ran down to the hem of the shirt. Her hair was tied in a French braid that was still draped over her left shoulder. She wore brown gloves and had a silver bracer on her left arm that protected her from the drawstring.

The match ended soon, leaving Pyrrha as the clear victor. Yarri slunk off the stage, more disheartened by the cheers for the winner. She headed out of the arena over to the medical kiosk, as was mandatory. The medical staff started checking her out, noting the bruises. Once they finished asking her questions to make sure she hadn't suffered a head injury, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned to see none other than the green-eyed warrior. "Hello," she began. "Are you OK?" Yarri nodded her head nervously. "Your name is Yarri, right?" Pyrrha pressed when she realized she wasn't going to get anything else out of her.

"Yeah," Yarri said quietly. She wasn't used to people approaching her like this.

"My name's Pyrrha," the red head extended her hand toward the girl.

"I know. I don't think there's a single person who doesn't know about you," Yarri replied. It suddenly dawned on the girl how rude she was being. "Oh, I'm sorry; it's nice to meet you!" She squeaked out. She quickly took hold of Pyrrha's hand and shook it.

"It's OK," Pyrrha waved her hand passively. "You're quite a strong fighter. If you worked on your agility, I'm sure you'd be unstoppable."

Yarri blushed slightly, "Thank you. That's always been a weakness of mine. I've been trying to increase my strength as well, so I can draw my bow faster."

"I can see it's worked well. Your speed is certainly impressive."

"Thanks," she said appreciatively before looking down at her feet.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Pyrrha pushed after a few moments.

"Perfect! Well, not perfect, but I'll be alright."

"OK, then." Pyrrha looked back when she heard her teammates calling her over. "I should go. Don't hesitate to say "hello" if you see us," she smiled and began walking back before stopping. She turned back around and said, "By the way, welcome to Beacon!" With that, she left to join up with her friends.

Class ended after sparring practice, releasing its students from its grip. Barrett, Gail, and teams RWBY and JNPR made their way out of the school corridors and towards the dormitories. They all chatted idly, talking about the day and discussing certain events that transpired. "That outburst was the last thing I was expecting from you, Gail," Jaune teased his fellow hunter.

"Yeah, well, I warned you guys I was a huge fan," Gail muttered defensively, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. "By the way, Pyrrha, I'm sorry for distracting you in the middle of your match. I've never done that before."

"Its fine, you don't need to apologize," Pyrrha shook her head, giggling slightly. "I'm flattered that you think so highly of me."

"Yay! We're all friends again," Nora yelled as she threw an arm around Gail and Pyrrha, pulling them into a tight hug. Ren grabbed her by the ear and pulled her back out of their personal space, earning an "Ow, ow, ow" from her.

"Where are you guys staying?" Weiss asked.

"The dorms in the east sector. I think Ozpin said something about it usually housing exchange students," Gail answered.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow, right?" Ruby queried.

"Maybe. Our schedule changes day-to-day, so we're not going to have the same teachers. We hope to see you guys more, though," Barrett offered, glancing at Gail for confirmation.

"Absolutely. You guys are pretty cool," Gail nodded genuinely.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Yang remarked, punching Gail in the shoulder.

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I wear my heart on my sleeve," he rubbed the sore spot on his arm.

"Especially when you're blurting it out in the middle of a match," Barrett teased his friend. The group laughed as Gail's face reddened slightly.

With the day over and the sun setting fast, they realized goodbyes needed to be said. They all exchanged numbers, planning on meeting them the next day, even if they did not have the same classes. The two transfer students said their peace and started towards their dormitories. They walked quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the breeze. "So, your thoughts?" Barrett asked once the others had disappeared from view.

Gail thought a moment. Even though he had teased him a few hours earlier about the very same line of questioning, his opinion had been drastically altered. He looked over at his best friend and grinned widely. "If the rest of the week goes this smoothly, I think we might've found it."

* * *

 _Hey-o guys. I appreciate you taking the time to read through this chapter. I won't be doing a lot of A/N's, mostly because I won't always have something to say. But, seeing as this is my first chapter, I might as well say something. I hope you guys enjoyed the OCs, some will be more relevant than others, more will be introduced as well. I really want to stick to what makes the show great, i.e. great characters, great writing, great chemistry, funny interactions, interesting concepts and themes, etc. Hopefully, I wasn't too off the mark with this first chapter, but whatever you think about it, I'd love to hear it. Whether you liked it, hated it, 'thought it was alright except for that one part', or you 'thought it mostly sucked, minus that other part.'_

 _Thanks, Slow-mo._


	2. Chapter 2

The crisp morning breeze stung the young man's cheeks. He breathed heavily as he trudged through the pouring rain. His normal routine on Sunday mornings was to go for a long run early on in the day, but this particular morning was more difficult than most. It was as if the heavens had opened up during his exercise, causing the cities drainage system to work overtime. He felt a shiver rack his spine. Despite being dressed for the cold weather, he hadn't anticipated a monsoon. His clothes were soaked through; the rain combined with the biting wind chilled him to his very core. He regretted making the decision to come to the city to exercise.

Gail, along with his best friend Barrett, had been shadowing Beacon academy for the full week. He had the weekend to think about whether or not he wanted to transfer to the school before his final decision on that following Monday. He had decided to get out extra early today to allow himself some time to mule over his options alone, but he hated himself for it, mostly because of the horrific conditions. The other reason being there were no shops open, so he could not even stop into one to relax and warm up. _What am I doing out here?_ He thought. _I should've just stayed in bed this morning, but no._

He slowed down as he approached an awning. Stopping underneath it, he took the opportunity to make his situation at least slightly better. He pulled his hood off and ran his hands through his hair, wringing out the extra water. Placing his hands on his hips, he relaxed his muscles, giving his body time to unwind and relax. He watched the clouds his breath made pool in front of him, taking the moment to listen to the patter of the rain. _I don't know what I'm going to do,_ He contemplated, eyes closed. _Am I able to leave everything behind? Beacon seems like a great place. We've made some good friends. But is it just because I'm an outsider looking in? Once I make it past the honeymoon phase, is my perspective going to change?_ He groaned loudly and rubbed his eyes. He felt completely at odds with himself.

He heard feet pounding through the puddles behind him, followed by the sound of keys clinging together. He opened his eyes and turned toward the source. A young woman with short strawberry-blonde hair and freckles underneath her eyes was busy unlocking the locks to a shop a few feet away from him. He approached her. "Excuse me, ma'am?" The woman looked at him. "Do you have the time?"

"Of course, darlin'," she smiled before looking at her watch. "It's 5:43."

"Thank you," he gave her an appreciative nod. Just then, a strong breeze picked up, causing Gail to shiver and hunker down in his waterlogged hoodie.

The woman gave him a concerned look, noticing that he was completely soaked. "Why don't ya come inside? It may not be much warmer, but it's certainly drier," she offered.

Gail appreciated her kindness, but didn't want to put her out. However, just as he was about to decline, another breeze came rushing through. "That would be great, thank you," he said politely before rushing inside.

The shop itself was rather small. There was just enough space to fit a few tables and chairs in, along with a counter and a tiny kitchen in the back. Gail wiped his feet on the doormat as the young lady slipped past him and flipped a few light switches. He stood there rather awkwardly for a few moments as the woman fumbled back behind the counter. "Please, take a seat. I just turned the heat on, and I'll make ya a cup of coffee. I just have to wait for the pots to warm up."

Gail thanked her before taking a seat at one of the small tables. "Do you want any cream or sugar?" The woman called from the back.

"No, thank you, black is fine," Gail called back.

A few minutes later, the young woman came out of the back with a coffee mug and a small saucer. She set both items down on his table, placing the mug down on the dish. "Here ya go, hun," she said cheerily.

"Thank you very much, ma'am," he replied.

"No trouble at all," she said as she walked back behind the counter. "So, what were ya doing out here in this awful weather?"

"I was going for a run," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Do ya usually go running in the middle of a hurricane?"

"Only if I get caught in it. Running in the rain is definitely not in my top ten of 'things I enjoy doing.'"

"I can only imagine," she offered. "Are ya from around here?"

"No, I'm from Mistral," Gail answered.

"Really? Are ya on vacation, then?" She asked curiously.

"Actually, I'm shadowing at Beacon, believe it or not. I'm transferring from Haven," he mentioned nonchalantly, taking a sip from his cup.

She nodded slightly and crouched down under the counter, fiddling with things before she shot back up and stared at him. "Wait… really?"

He offered her a quick, "Yup," then took another drink.

"How can ya be so calm when ya say that?" She asked incredulously.

Gail looked up at her questioningly before he realized why she was so baffled. "I'm sorry," he chuckled, "I, um, I don't talk to other people outside the academies very often. I'm not used to people that don't know about all this stuff."

"It's fine. I've just never served a hunter before," she laughed.

"Then I'm happy to be your first," he leaned back in his chair. "By the way, how much do I owe you?"

"It's on the house. Think of it as a discount for keeping the world safe," she declared delightfully. He was taken aback by her generosity. He thanked her profusely, but she dismissed his thanks with a quick wave of her hand. "So, why are ya transferrin'?" She asked after a few moments.

Gail thought about her question, running his hand through his still-wet hair. "You know, I've been asking myself that this whole week," he commented. However, his statement was almost meant more as a non-committal train of thought rather than a definitive answer.

"What do ya mean?" She asked as she continued her morning routine.

"Well, I'm honestly only really here because of my friend."

"Your friend? Why?" She stopped what she was doing and rested her elbows on the counter.

"I've been thinking a lot about this, and I've come to realize that I never really had a reason to leave Mistral," Gail leaned forward and took another sip of his coffee.

She waited for him to continue, but when he didn't, she asked, "Then what are ya doin' here, if you don't mind me askin'?"

He shook his head, wishing he hadn't said so much. "The story's not as interesting as you'd think it is."

"Are you kiddin' me? I think this is fascinatin'," she declared as she stepped around the counter and made her way over to his table.

"Really?"

"'Course. When I was younger, I actually wanted to be a huntress. But instead, I decided to take over this place," she sighed reminiscently. She put her hand on the chair across from him. "Can I join ya?"

"This is your shop," he gestured for her to sit. "You sure you want to hear about all of this?"

"Absolutely. If ya don't want to share, though, I totally understand. This is a personal matter, after all."

"No, it's okay."

"Alright, then. What's on your mind, hun?"

Gail took a deep breath, considering where and how he should begin. "Well, in a nutshell, my friend, Barrett, and I have spent most of our lives training to become hunters. He loves to brag about how strong we are and there's a certain amount of truth to that." He stood up and began pacing slowly. "The excuse has always been 'the curriculum is too easy.' The problem is that he's always done better than I have with both aspects of our schooling. So, for him, it makes sense. But, for me, it doesn't make a lick of difference where I am. I'm not trading out an easier course for a harder course. At least, not in a way that's going to cause any significant adjustment. At this point, it's just a change in scenery." When he finished his rant, he plopped back down in his chair, suddenly feeling very frustrated with himself again.

"Why did you leave, then?" The woman interjected.

Gail thought for a few moments, but all he could come up with was just a shrug. "I don't know. I just did."

"Ya left yer family and friends behind just because another friend insisted ya leave with him?" She pointed out.

"Well, when you lay it out like that, it sounds completely asinine." The woman giggled at his comment. "Well, Barrett is my best friend. He's the closest thing I got to family."

"What about yer folks?" She asked with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

"We've, um… we've never been very close," Gail scratched his chin sheepishly.

"Why not?"

Gail dismissed her question with a small gesture. "It's a whole thing, don't worry about it. All you have to know is that we don't talk much."

The woman nodded sympathetically. "OK, so, ya don't have a family to worry about, and the only person ya are close with is here with ya. What's the hang up, then?"

Gail sighed heavily, "That's the thing: I don't really know. It seems like I should have no reason to not want to transfer. I like the school, I like the people. Nothing is tying me to Mistral or Haven other than the fact that I was born there. But, I grew up in Mistral. I've never even been outside of the kingdom until now." He looked down at his hands in his lap.

"So, the big question now is: do ya even want to transfer?" The young hunter looked at her questioningly. "Listen, ya said it yerself. Ya only came here 'cause of yer friend. Is it worth it? Ya said yer doing fine back at Haven. Maybe ya shouldn't be tryin' to change somethin' that ain't broke."

Gail rubbed the back of his neck in thought. She had a good point. She had a very good point. Was he making a mistake? It hadn't dawned on him until just now that he hadn't even so much as spoken to Barrett about this subject since the first day. As the final date approached, however, he had become increasingly unsure of himself. He knew his opinion hadn't changed that much since Monday, so why was he suddenly so shaken? With that final thought, he stood and looked at the young lady in front of him. "I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to me talk nonsense to you, miss. You've been extremely helpful and you've given me a lot to think on. I'd love to talk more, but I should go." He took a big swig of his coffee before turning around and making his way toward the exit.

"My pleasure, darlin'. I hope ya have a great day! And do come back any time!" She said jovially. As Gail opened the door to the little shop, he heard the woman call out, "Wait, I forgot to ask ya what yer name is!"

"Gail Holt," he stated as he turned around.

"Gail, huh? Well, my name's Rosalyn, but my friends call me Roz," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, I'll definitely have to come back, then, Roz," he declared with a smile before walking out.

Rosalyn chuckled as the door shut. She walked back to the table and began collecting the dishes. When she picked up the half-empty coffee mug she noticed three plastic cards that had been placed under the cup. She grinned from ear-to-ear, turning to look out the window in the direction that the young hunter had gone in.

The airship made its way back to Beacon Academy, carrying just one passenger with it. Gail rubbed his cold hands together in a failed attempt to warm them up. _Roz has a point. Why bother transferring if I don't have a reason. I'd like to stick with Barrett, but-_ he was suddenly wrenched from his musings by a voice shouting at him. He was so focused on his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized that they had landed until the pilot was ordering him off. He walked through the rain toward his dorm room, still mulling over what Rosalyn had said. He opened his door and stepped inside, immediately shedding his soaked clothes and drying himself off with a towel. Being put in the visiting students section allowed each of the eight potential transfer students their own, massive room, until they make their final decision.

 _Barrett and I have some things to discuss,_ Gail thought as he rubbed the towel on his head. He dressed himself in dry clothes and grabbed his scroll and glasses off the nightstand. He slipped them on and dialed his friend's number before holding the device up to his ear.

"Hullo…?" The voice on the other end drawled out sleepily after three rings.

"Hey, it's me," Gail answered.

"Yeah, what do you want?" He asked, irritated.

"Hey, uh, listen. I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh," Barrett was silent for a few moments. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just, um… come by my room whenever you want."

"Got it, I'll see you in a little while, then," Barrett replied before hanging up.

Gail looked at the screen as the line disconnected. He sighed. "Alright, then, I guess we'll find out how he's going to take this," he muttered.

Far sooner than Gail had expected, he heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he called out. He had been lying on his bed, thinking about what to say. When Barrett entered, he sat up and dropped his legs over the side of the bed, sitting on the edge.

"Hey," Barrett said simply. He closed the door behind him and made his over to the desk at the far end of the room, pulling the chair out and plopping down on it. He threw his arm over the back of it and slunk down. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Getting right into it, huh?" Gail asked, trying to lighten the mood some. Barrett just shrugged. "Well, it's about transferring."

Barrett raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Do you not like it here?"

"No, it's not that. I do like it here. But-" Gail stopped himself. He didn't know why, but he was suddenly immensely nervous. He wrung his hands together in his lap and kept his eyes fixated on the carpet.

"'But' what?" Barrett asked after a few moments of waiting in silence.

Gail opened his mouth to continue, but nothing came out. He maintained his stare at his feet. He felt ashamed of himself. He felt that he had come here for no reason. He was extremely annoyed that it took this long to convince himself to at least say something. But most of all, he felt that he had lied to his best friend. He told him that he wanted to leave Haven as well for the same reason Barrett did. He never actually thought about what he wanted to do. He just blindly agreed because he was too afraid to say no. "Gail," Barrett said finally. The young man looked up at his friend. "Tell me what's wrong. I can't help if I don't know how."

Gail sighed heavily, "I don't know if I can do it."

"What?" Barrett leaned forward, propping his elbows up on his knees.

"Transfer. I don't know if I can leave Mistral," Gail held his breath once he finished. He hated to admit it, but he was scared of what Barrett's reaction would be.

Barrett did not say anything. Aside from a few subtle changes in his expression, he did not do anything. The silence hung in the air for far longer than Gail was comfortable with. He felt the pit in his stomach expand. Finally, Barrett asked one simple question: "Why?"

Gail let his breath out slowly. "I'm just not at your level." Barrett's face changed to puzzled look. "You _killed_ it at Haven. Straight A's, nobody could touch you at practice, and you had everyone's adoration. You can afford to move, because everything is too easy for you. You may even benefit from it. But, that's not the case for me. I don't know if I can leave my home if I won't actually benefit from it."

"I didn't know you felt that way." Barrett looked away, "Gail, I haven't been entirely… truthful with you."

It was Gail's turn to be perplexed. "What do you mean?" He asked cautiously.

"The reason I told you I wanted to transfer isn't the real reason. I said I wanted to leave because things were too easy. But," Barrett shook his head before continuing, "that's not true. Not entirely, at least. Sure, the combat training was a breeze for me. However, I never got straight A's. I had someone change the report cards so I could make my aunt proud. I was actually closer to a C student. I was so embarrassed that I was seriously considering quitting. This transfer was my last ditch effort to turn things around."

Gail leaned back on his hands and looked up at the ceiling. He felt like a ton of weights was lifted off his shoulders. "Why did you tell me the other reason if it wasn't true?"

"Why did you agree to come with me if you never wanted to?" Barrett retorted. Gail allowed a small smile to creep across his lips. "I was always envious about how you could always maintain honor roll. I tried as hard as I could, but I would fail damn near every test. I barely turned in homework. The only thing that kept me afloat were those group projects that we did together that was worth a large percentage of our grade."

Gail thought about what his response should be. He had quite a few questions, but he settled on one. "So, then, why did you want me to come with you?"

"I thought you hated Haven," Barrett answered simply.

"What? Why did you think that?" Gail asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"I could tell you were miserable there. There wasn't a single person that I can remember you actually liked enough to talk to on a regular basis. Don't think I'm ragging on you, though. That 'adoration' you were talking about," Barrett punctuated the word by adding air quotes, "was jealousy. I couldn't stand it there."

Gail shook his head. "No, I wasn't miserable," he said quietly, trying to convince himself more than he was Barrett.

"Yes, you were. You know how I know?" Barrett replied. Gail cocked his head questioningly at him. "Because we've only been here for a week, and you've made more worthwhile friends now than you ever did in the four months we were at Haven," Barrett pointed out as he leaned back in his chair again. "I mean, your whole attitude has changed for the better."

Gail rubbed his chin in contemplation. Was it true? Was he really like that at Haven? His perspective of this situation had been flipped on its head for the second time today, and it was not even breakfast yet. "Well," he began after a minute of consideration, "this talk has been… eye-opening, to say the least."

"I second that," Barrett said, nodding. "I've made up my mind. I want to stay. I would love it if you did too, but I don't want you to move away from everything you've ever known just to appease me. Do what you think is best for you." Barrett sighed lightly and stood up. "You've got a lot of stuff to think about, so I'll leave you to it." He made his way over to the door and opened it. He took one step out, but stopped. He turned back toward his friend who hadn't even noticed him about to leave. "Gail," he said, catching his attention, "You're my brother. Never forget that." With that, he exited, closing the door softly behind him.

The next day, Gail woke up a few minutes before his alarm went off. He hadn't slept all that well, due in no small part to what was on his mind. He waited until his alarm blared before getting up and heading over to the bathroom. He showered, dried off, brushed his teeth and got dressed. He stepped out into the hallway and walked a few feet before coming to a stop in front of a door identical to his. It was Barrett's room. He thought about knocking, but decided against it. Instead, he turned away and continued down to the exit.

Stepping outside his complex, he looked up at the dark clouds hanging low overhead. It hadn't stopped raining since yesterday. He walked through the steady showers, following many of the other students toward the main halls. However, he split off from the main pack and headed to the elevators. "Which floor would you like to go to?" It asked pleasantly.

"Top floor," Gail answered quietly.

He meditated on his thoughts the whole way up. Which decision was right? He doubted there was a "right" decision. He frowned slightly. How had he gotten so confused in seven short days? That was a much tougher question to answer. He crossed his arms, frustrated beyond belief. "Top floor," the elevator announced as the doors slid open. He exited and walked across the large room toward the massive set of double doors on the opposite end. Four other students were waiting patiently, and silently, outside the office. As he got closer, someone, another transfer student, he guessed, opened one of the doors and brushed past Gail, heading to the elevators.

When the student left, another student filed in, closing the door behind them. It seemed like he was the last to arrive. He entered the queue at the back behind the small huntress-to-be, Yarri. _Barrett isn't here, so he must have already gone in,_ Gail thought. The line dwindled fairly quickly as students entered, said their peace, and left. Before he knew it, Gail was up next. Yarri came out of the office, looking over at the young man. She could tell he was distressed. She offered him a comforting smile as she passed by. He nodded appreciatively and entered, pulling the door closed behind him.

The gears above him cast menacing shadows in the pale green light as he made his way toward the white haired man seated behind a large wooden desk. "Good morning, Mr. Holt," Ozpin called out. Gail returned the greeting as he looked around at what little décor that was there. Once he got close, Ozpin gestured toward the seat in front of him. "Please, sit," he offered.

Gail took hold of the chair and slid it back. He sat down, unconsciously rubbing his hands on his thighs nervously. Ozpin reached down and pulled a manila folder out of a drawer and placed it on the desk. He quickly thumbed through it, making subtle nods of his head as if he were taking mental notes. He took a sip from his mug. "I have been reviewing your file," he began, placing his cup on the desk, "and I have to say, I'm certainly impressed by what I see. I am curious as to why you want to transfer to my school, in the first place." Gail didn't know how to answer. Before he could, however, Ozpin continued, "But, I don't need to know if you don't want me to. Your credentials are more than enough to qualify you."

He took another sip from his mug, then gently closed the file. He placed his elbows on top of the desk and interlocked his fingers. Ozpin stared at the student over his small spectacles. "So, I have one, simple question for you: do you want to transfer to Beacon?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Please, fighters, remember that this is only an exhibition match. There's no need for-," Glynda Goodwitch pleaded before she was cut off by a ferocious explosion that rocked the stadium. The sheer intensity of the blast was enough to force the spectators back into their seats, the concussive wave jostling their innards.

Yarri Morez stood at the threshold of the large smoke plumes, staring intently for any sign of movement inside the black veil. The huntress waited for a few moments before she reached into her quiver, pulled out three arrows, whose arrowheads were colored red, and nocked them at the same time. Glynda watched the arena get ripped to shreds and groaned. It was nothing she could not fix, but after having to do it after every match so far, she was not exactly eager to do it yet again.

"Easy, Glynda, there's no harm in it. We do want to see what these students are capable of, after all," Ozpin appeased the blonde instructor. The huntress grunted in protest, but left it at that.

Yarri moved back to the edge of the arena and scanned the area, though most of it was still obscured by the thick smoke. Suddenly, there were four loud _cracks_ just before she was hit by a volley of bullets that ripped out of the veil, causing her to stagger backward. Her heels went over the side as she flailed her arms forward to keep herself from falling out of bounds. A black haired, green-eyed hunter came rushing out of the blanket of fumes and rushed in as close as he could to keep her from recovering. Gail attempted to kick her out of the ring, but she skillfully sidestepped the attack. She bashed Gail in the lower back, pushing him forward to edge.

Yarri attempted to hit him in the back of the head, but he ducked and swiped at her legs. She jumped backward and fired three arrows at him while in midair. None hit their mark, however, as Gail rolled to the side. The hunter dashed at her with a low attack, slicing her across the gut. Spinning back around, he cut upward across her chest, then struck at her head. She ducked and pulled a green-tipped arrow out of her quiver, slamming the head into Gail's torso. The dust activated, causing electricity to arc through the young man's muscles as they convulsed involuntarily. Yarri lashed out with a spin kick that connected with Gail's temple and launched him away. The hunter landed on his back and writhed in pain, fighting to even move. His body would not cooperate as he found himself floundering in the middle of the arena. Yarri took the time to check her arrow supply, noting that she only had one explosive arrow, one electric arrow, and six regular arrows left.

Gail reached up and swatted at the affected area, hoping to wipe the dust off, but to no avail. Yarri pulled out another explosive arrow and fired it at him. Her opponent barely managed to roll to the side to avoid the bulk of the attack, but the concussive wave from the explosion launched him across the ring. He landed hard on his back and skidded to a halt. Cursing under his breath, he took a peak at his scroll that was strapped to his left arm. It displayed a long meter that stretched across the screen, and it had taken a significant chunk of damage.

The dust on his coat began to lose its potency as he found himself able to move again. Clambering to his feet, Gail looked up just in time to dive underneath another arrow. He landed in a roll before quickly reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out another magazine for his gun, shifting it back to its ranged form at the same time. The small brunette charged him, swinging her bow at his head in a wide arc. Gail ducked past her before whipping around to fire at her feet.

The round landed and erupted, encasing one of the archer's legs in ice. She immediately began chipping away at the ice, but Gail took the opportunity to do some damage and to deal some payback. He shifted his weapon back to its melee form and began his assault. Yarri attempted to block and dodge what she could, but with the limited amount of movement she had, it did not help much. She was a sitting duck.

Gail slashed and cut her in a flurry of bladed dances as his double-bladed sword allowed him to maintain a barrage of attacks without needing to pause. He spun around and elbowed her in the face. Yarri managed to duck a follow-up kick, then reached her bow around the back of his head, pulling him in close. She head-butted him in the nose, drove her free knee into his gut, then bashed him in the throat with the shaft of the bow. While Gail stumbled back, Yarri pulled out an arrow and chipped at the ice with the steel head. Just as the hunter managed to catch his breath, the archer broke free from the ice. Gail took a deep breath before charging at his opponent as she swapped the regular arrow for her last electric one and fired it at him.

The projectile sailed through the air, grazing the hunter's shoulder as he attempted to dodge. The dust that clung to him was enough to stop him as Gail's legs buckled, the electricity causing his muscles to seize and twitch on their own accord. Gail reached up and unzipped his jacket, desperately trying to escape the dust that continued to chip away at his aura.

Yarri fired an arrow that pierced his sleeve and pinned it to the ground. Gail glared at the arrow slightly before he slipped out of his jacket, another two arrows striking the middle as he rolled away. He clambered to his feet and was going to rush his opponent again, but dropped to his knees, his legs giving out again. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the small brunette reach back to her quiver for her last arrow. He shifted his weapon back to its ranged form and aimed it with a shaking arm as the small girl did the same.

However, before either could fire, there was a sharp whistle that snapped both fighters' attention toward the source. The blonde instructor walked out onto the stage and announced, "This match is over. Please, fighters, return to the waiting area." The two hunters looked back at each other before shrugging and holstering their weapons. Gail attempted to stand, but fell backwards onto his butt as his legs failed to support him once more. He was approached by the brunette whom offered him a hand and a smile.

He nodded in thanks. "Guess that electricity did more than I thought," he stated as he hoisting himself up. Once back on his feet and not in danger of faceplanting, he turned to where he left his jacket and removed the arrows pinning it to the ground. He crouched down and picked it up, examining the holes and tears in it with a frown. Grumbling slightly, he threw it over his shoulder and followed the huntress out of the arena.

As they made their way toward the bleachers, they were met with cheers and compliments from the students in the stands and the other transfers whom waited for their turn to show off their abilities. There was a certain group in the stands that were louder than the rest; the culprits were none other than teams RWBY and JNPR. Gail gave a slight wave in their direction, earning a sharp, congratulatory whistle from the blonde brawler, Yang and a whoop from the orange-haired ball of hyperactivity known as Nora. Yarri grinned from ear-to-ear and bounced excitedly, feeling at least somewhat redeemed after her decisive loss to Pyrrha a week before. "Great match, you two," Gail's best friend called out as he approached them. He quickly fished a pair of glasses out of his pocket and handed them over to the black-haired man.

Gail looked at his best friend and nodded as he took them from him, "Thanks. It was even better participating, though. She's one helluva fighter. Scrappy as hell, too." He glanced at the brunette, whom smiled and blushed shyly. "You owe me a new jacket, by the way," he said to the small brunette.

"I owe you no such thing," she huffed.

"Look at this," Gail exclaimed as he held his jacket up, poking a finger through one of the many holes in it, "this is your fault."

That's what you get for being too slow," she shrugged.

Gail grunted, "I demand recompense."

"You can 'demand' whatever you like. I'm not paying for it. Maybe if you had won, I'd be more willing."

"That match was a tie, at best, and you know it," the black-haired hunter declared.

"Says you. I like to think I would've won that. You were still dealing with my shock arrow to aim properly."

Both hunters looked at each other, shocked to see this normally shy girl being so brash. "Anyone ever tell you that you're a sore winner?" Gail asked honestly.

"So, you admit it!" The brunette shrieked as she poked him in the chest.

"I don't remember saying that," he shook his head.

"Well, it was a good fight, regardless of the outcome," Barrett placated the both of them, not wanting to hear their bickering anymore.

Suddenly, Barrett's gaze was pulled away as a shapely woman passed behind Gail, walking over to sit down on a bench to the group's right. Barrett leaned over to get a better look, watching her hips sway gently. "Woah," he muttered as he tapped his friend on the shoulder, "look at that."

The black-haired hunter looked over, spotting the girl Barrett was ogling. Her pale red hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she wore a white pea-coat, what amounted to a sports bra and a pair of form-fitting pants. "That's certainly a welcome sight," the green-eyed hunter stated.

"And here I thought you guys were somehow different than all the other hormonal teenage boys here," the brunette sighed, visibly irritated.

Barrett chuckled. "Everybody checks each other out all the time. Don't act like you're any different," he declared, still eyeing the redhead.

"What are you talking about?" She exclaimed with a light blush. "Us girls are too classy for that!"

"Right," the towering hunter smirked, sarcasm carried in his tone. He glanced over at the girl once more to see her shooting him an amused smirk. "Ah, hell."

Suddenly, the girl stood and began strutting over to them. "Uh-oh, I think she saw you sleazing on her," Gail teased his friend.

"Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious," Barrett whispered.

"What're you going to do?" Gail asked in sarcastic amusement.

"Me?" He asked in anger. "You were checking her out, too!"

"Yeah, I looked at her once when you pointed her out to me," the shorter hunter corrected him. "You're on your own."

Barrett quickly glanced over to see the girl was almost upon them. "Oh, shit, seriously, you need to help me!" He whispered in desperation.

"Nope, this is way too much fun as is," the black-haired man shook his head.

"So," the three of them heard to their right. They turned to the redhead whom was waiting with a hand on her hip. "You two see something you like?" She asked. She had a smooth Atlesian accent and wore a cocky smile. They could tell she was a faunus by her sharp canine teeth.

"I think he does," Gail answered, gesturing to his friend beside him. He gave him an innocent smile as Barrett shot him a death glare.

The girl turned toward him and approached, scanning the hunter up and down. "Obviously," she said finally, still addressing the green-eyed man beside her, "he's not hard to spot in a crowd."

"Not exactly inconspicuous, is he?" The black-haired hunter joked in return.

Barrett grunted slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Neither are you," he remarked, staring the redhead.

"Fair enough," she conceded as she abruptly turned away from the towering hunter. "I'm Marona, by the way."

"Gail," the green-eyed hunter introduced.

"I'm Yarri," the brunette said, giving her a bow of her head.

"Pleasure." She turned toward the third member who had yet to identify himself. "You are?" Barrett stared at her defiantly. "You got actually got a name or do strong women just intimidate you?"

"He's Barrett," Gail interjected, giving his friend a stern look.

"Well, now, not so hard to say your own name, is it?" She remarked as she shot Barrett a glare of her own. The short haired man opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the canine faunus, "You two were in that last match, right?"

"That's right," Gail answered.

"That was a great fight. The both of you were very impressive," she offered before looking at the black-haired man, "especially you."

Gail felt a small amount of heat rise up to his cheeks. "Thanks," he nodded before clearing his throat. He was smiling like an idiot and he hated himself for it.

Barrett rolled his eyes. "What's your problem over there?" Marona asked sarcastically. The large hunter shook his head in response, dismissing her question. "Go ahead, I want to hear it."

"No, it's nothing, really," Barrett shrugged. The faunus crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "It's just that I've never met someone so desperate for attention," the towering student jabbed with a bemused smirk.

"How does that saying go?" The redhead wondered, tapping a finger to her chin. "Something about a pot and a kettle, I think."

"That's cute," Barrett said, adding a sarcastic laugh.

"What do you care, anyway? You his boyfriend or something?" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"No," he shrugged, "I'm just trying to help him not catch a disease."

"He's a big boy, he can handle himself. You mind getting off that high horse of yours?"

"Woah," Gail interjected as stepped in between them, "let's all settle down. We're all friends here."

"Not all of us, it seems," the redhead commented, staring the massive hunter down.

"That doesn't help," he pointed out. Barrett chuckled smugly, but stopped when he received a cold stare from his friend. He turned back to the faunus, "I'm really sorry about this."

Marona gave a quick glare at Barrett before looking back at Gail, "It's fine, love. This isn't the first time I've dealt with an arrogant boy, but this is the first time dealing with one inflated with so much self-important machismo." She sighed as she turned to walk away, "I'll see you around." However, she stopped and turned back toward the trio, looking directly at Gail. "Cute scar, by the way," she called out before walking off.

"She needs a serious attitude readjustment," Barrett said once she was out of earshot, taking a breath to calm himself. He looked over to see both the brunette and his friend glaring intently at him. "What?"

"You mind telling me what the hell that was?" Gail scolded.

"Me? I didn't do anything!" Barrett defended himself.

"You were being a complete and utter asshole!" The bespectacled hunter exclaimed.

"She started it!" Barrett pointed out.

Gail scoffed, "What are you, five years old?"

"It doesn't really matter, guys," Yarri placated the two other students, "I doubt we'll need to deal with her again. I think you made it pretty clear we aren't going to be the best of friends."

"The next match is between: Barrett Unger and Marona Messier!" Glynda announced as if on cue.

Barrett rubbed his eyes and sighed, "Shit. So much for not 'dealing with her', huh?" He relented, slipping past his friends and making his way toward the arena.

Up in the stands, teams RWBY and JNPR watched in anticipation as the two ascended the small steps into the ring and walked to opposite sides. "This should be good!" Yang said, leaning forward.

"It'll certainly be interesting to see what Barrett's capable of," Weiss opined as she closed her scroll and buried it in her coat pocket.

"I hope they don't pull any punches," Ruby added.

"Yeah, I wanna see some blood!" Nora bellowed at the two students gearing up at the edges of the ring.

"I doubt they'll actually hurt each other, Nora. This is only an exhibition match, after all," Ren countered.

"That'd be SOOOO boring, though," she exclaimed.

"That last match was pretty exciting, Nora. I'm sure this one will be plenty entertaining, as well," Pyrrha tried to calm her teammate.

"Yeah, kill each other!" Jaune screamed as he pumped his fist in the air, earning him a very stern look from the starlet. He smiled innocently, but quickly offered her a shamed apology.

"I don't know, Pyrrha," Blake started, "they do need to impress Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch, after all. Even though it's just supposed to be a friendly match, a fight is still a fight. Who knows what might happen?"

"Oh," Ruby squeaked excitedly, "it's starting!"

Back down in the ring, the two combatants had finished their warm-ups and approached each other, gathering at the center of the ring. "I feel I need to reiterate these points again," Glynda announced from just outside the combat zone, "these are simple exhibition matches. They're simply a way for us to determine what each of you is capable of. The fight isn't determined by knockout. If one of us understands, more or less, how the fight is going to end, or if we have gotten an adequate sense of each of your respective skills, the match may end early. Remember, students: you aren't here to win, necessarily. You're here to show off your skills and abilities."

"Winning is encouraged, however," Ozpin added suddenly, stepping up from behind the huntress, "Do not just assume we will end the fight. Remember, even the most seemingly clear cut fights can swiftly change. That being said, fight hard, students."

The combatants took their places in the middle of the arena. "What are the odds, huh?" Marona asked, smirking confidently, raising her arms out in front of her.

"With my luck? Pretty good, actually. I hope you didn't think I'd take it easy on you, did I?" Barrett asked rhetorically, mimicking her actions. They both extended out and bumped their fists together.

Once they took a few steps backward, Barrett unsheathed a pair of ornate hand axes from the harness on his back. The head of the axes were engraved with an orb in the center and long lines leading away from it toward the borders. The back of the head was shaped into a pick and the bottom extended down to create a hook between it and the leather-bound handle.

Glynda raised her arm over her head. "Ready?" She called out. Both fighters nodded and took a fighting stance, the faunus choosing to remain weaponless, the blonde instructor dropped her hand down and shouted, "Begin!"

Marona immediately fired a cable out from underneath her left sleeve. Barrett dipped to the side, the sharp edge of the cable passing right by his face, nicking his cheek slightly. He dashed at her, raising his weapons above his head and bringing them down on her. Marona nimbly sidestepped to the right, avoiding the blow completely. Barrett used his momentum to spin around and swing his left axe at her head; however, Marona ducked as she pulled a blade out from underneath the same sleeve as the cable. She gave him a shallow cut across the chest before kneeing him in the groin. Barrett recoiled, his aura absorbing most of the blow, but was unnerved nonetheless. Marona used the advantage to kick him in the ribs, causing him to stumble backward. Barrett quickly regained his footing and took a defensive stance. "Cheap shot," he declared.

"All is fair in war, love," Marona remarked.

Barrett gritted his teeth in annoyance and rushed forward again. He lifted his right axe over his head once more as he approached. Marona prepared herself for the attack when Barrett stooped down and slammed the edge of his left axe into the ground and pulled up, cutting into the pavement and throwing bits of debris and dust into the faunus's face. Marona quickly shielded her eyes, but the momentary loss of focus gave the berserker enough time to drop the upraised axe onto Marona's shoulder, violently throwing her into the ground. Marona rolled to the left and onto her knees as the other axe was brought down, missing narrowly. Barrett dodged a counter attack and crashed the pommel of the axe into Marona's nose. She barely managed to stay on her feet as she stumbled backwards.

"Boy, I wish my boyfriend were as dirty as you," Marona said finally, rubbing her sore nose.

"No dirtier than what you did," Barrett pointed out.

"Fair enough," she conceded as she shrugged her coat off her shoulders, tossing it over the side of the arena. "Alright, what do you say we stop playing around?"

"I agree completely."

"Good. Let's do this," she called out as she reached over and released the lock on her gauntlet. The long cable tumbled out to the ground, the head landing with an unceremonious _clunk_. With a smirk from both fighters, they charged one another.

The two combatants clashed in the middle of the arena. What Marona lacked in raw power she made up for in speed. However, Barrett's strength and skill prevented her from closing the gap and kept her on the defense. Marona was having a hard time simply avoiding the heavy blows, let alone even bothering to counter. She dodged a slash and lashed out, her fist colliding with his throat, stunning him. She then kicked him in the side of the leg, causing the berserker to dropp down onto one knee before he ducked under a slash and blocked a follow up kick with his forearm. He charged forward, throwing his body weight into her and knocked her to the ground. Marona whipped her cable from right-to-left, wrapping it around her opponent's neck and lashed out with a kick, pushing him back. She jumped up and retracted the line, pulling Barrett back with it. When he got close, Barrett attempted to swipe at her, but she ducked past the swing and maneuvered behind him, kicking him in the back of the knee. Once on his knees, Marona yanked back on the wire again, effectively choking him.

"Is that all you've got, love?" Marona taunted him. He snarled angrily as he grabbed the line and tugged on it, pulling her toward him. Barrett threw his head back once she was behind him, crashing the back of his head into her jaw before untangling the cable from around his throat. Now that he was free, he took a few steps away from the canine faunus to catch his breath, taking the moment to glare at her. "What's wrong? Am I 'dogging' you too much?" She continued to tease.

"You look more like a cow to me," Barrett retorted loudly, earning an 'ooh' and a series of immature laughs from the crowd.

Marona glowered at him before craning her head to both sides, cracking her neck, "Looks like I'm going to enjoy this way more than I thought."

Barrett rushed her again, trying to put pressure on her and to keep her from using her cable. Marona leaned back as one of the axes sailed by right in front of her face, snipping a few of her hairs. She attempted a counter attack, but it was easily batted away as Barrett smashed his elbow into her cheek. He followed it up by slamming his axe into her gut before he kneed her in the face when she doubled over. She staggered backward, whipping the cable back and forth in an attempt to keep her opponent at bay. Much to her chagrin, Barrett avoided the panicked flurry and rolled past her, slamming an axe into her back. Before she could escape, the berserker hooked her leg with the underside of the other axe and yanked her off her feet. She landed on her gut, but quickly rolled onto her back before rolling away over her head, narrowly avoiding a finishing blow.

"Wow," Yang whistled impressively, "Barrett's on a rampage."

"No kidding, he's really laying into that girl," Jaune commented. Both teams, as well as the rest of the audience, were completely engrossed in the sheer savagery on display. "It's like watching a Grimm in a human suit."

"It's almost terrifying," Pyrrha added. Everyone seemed at least somewhat perturbed, save for Nora, whom whooped in excitement, pumping a fist in the air.

Barrett hooked Marona around the neck and tossed her to the other side of the arena. Marona's aura had been cut down and was hovering in the orange, while her enemy maintained a strong green. Marona got onto one knee, breathing heavily, trying to formulate a plan of attack. For how angry and, honestly, terrified of her opponent the faunus was, she was, at the very least, thankful he was giving her a second to breathe. She shuddered at how he leered at her, the muscles in his face tensing and relaxing as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. "What're you looking, huh?" Marona yelled at her opponent after a few seconds.

Barrett began stalking toward her, still glowering at her. "What?" She asked, losing a lot of the confidence she had left. The towering student stopped in front of her, inches away from her face. There was a sudden silence as the audience sucked in a collective breath, waiting for what would happen next. "Is there something on my face?" She joked finally.

"Do you _ever_ stop talking?" Barrett asked rhetorically, a bite in his voice.

"No, it's part of my charm."

"You need to have charm for anything to be a part of it." Marona laughed nervously, looking to Professor Ozpin and Glynda for help.

"We should be stopping this," Glynda suggested, tapping her finger on her bicep impatiently.

Ozpin took a sip from his ever-present coffee cup, "Not yet. I'm interested in where this is going."

"Someone could get hurt," she huffed.

"We'll see. I'm curious how the both of them will handle this," Ozpin said, putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"You read his file," she argued. "You know this is dangerous."

"What's a little danger to us? We are in a dangerous profession, after all."

Glynda frowned, "They're still students."

"True, but this is why we are having these matches to begin with, isn't it?" Ozpin reasoned as he took another sip. "Let the match run its course. I wish to see how Mr. Unger handles himself."

Marona ducked passed him quickly, but the berserker made no attempt to stop her. "Um, are we done fighting, or…?" Marona trailed off, glancing around her, confused.

"No, I'm giving you a chance to forfeit," Barrett explained before turning to look at her. The faunus would've guffawed at him, even if it had not been a joke, had this fight been going differently. However, since it was not, she did not. Instead she dug her heels in to the ground and took up a fighting stance. "Hmph," Barrett grunted with a shrug, "suit yourself." With that, he rushed forward again.

Marona took a step back before swinging the cable at him. The axe-wielder dodged the first attack, but failed to anticipate a second one that struck him across the face. He quickly stopped, blocking the third with his left axe. The cable wrapped around the handle of the weapon, giving Marona an advantage. She yanked back, wrenching the weapon from Barrett's hand and pulling it toward his opponent as she retracted the wire. Catching it in one hand, Marona was shocked to feel how heavy the weapon was. She smirked, feeling confident again. She sneered at the hunter, ready to tease him again, but quickly reconsidered when she got a look at him.

Barrett's face had seized up, staring at his axe in the hands of _her_. His vision funneled down as he glanced from the weapon to the face of the faunus holding it. There was a vicious growl, a guttural noise emanating from the berserker. Without notice, he began sprinting at the girl, quickly capping out at his top speed. Marona blanched and made an involuntary noise as the beast of a man barreled down on her. Before she could react, Barrett rammed his shoulder into her gut, completely knocking the wind out of her as she was tackled to the ground. Just by the sheer force of the tackle, Marona's aura dropped just low enough for the match to be called.

Barrett raised his remaining axe above his head, ready to bring it down on the faunus's head until there was a loud crack and his other weapon was ripped from his grip, clattering to the ground a few feet away. He looked up to see his best friend holding his pistol, the barrel smoking slightly. "Mr. Unger!" Glynda bellowed at him. "This match has been called! Stand. Down." Barrett looked down at the faunus underneath him, who was attempting to defend herself by holding her hands in front of her face. He could feel her quivering and he could hear her whimpering slightly.

Barrett took a few breaths as he analyzed the situation. Realizing what he had done, he quickly gathered his weapons and made a hasty exit, running down the steps and back to the locker room. He brushed past Gail brusquely, refusing to even look at him. Gail sighed heavily as he holstered his gun. Shaking his head slightly in disappointment, he looked over at the small brunette who gave him a concerned look.

"Well, students," Ozpin started, pulling everyone out of their bewilderment and grabbing their attention, "we'll pick up on these exhibition matches tomorrow. Please go back to your dorms. Your classes have been suspended for the day." The students looked at each other, baffled by what had just transpired. After a few seconds, however, the crowd began filing out, save for the members of teams RWBY and JNPR.

Gail was about to follow his friend into the locker room, but was stopped by the feeling of a hand being placed on his shoulder. He looked over to see it was Professor Ozpin. "Do you mind if I go speak with him first, Mr. Holt?" He asked.

"Uh," Gail stammered, "I guess not, sir." The headmaster nodded in appreciation before making his way into the locker room.

"God damn it!" Barrett ground out, slamming a fist into the back wall, cracking the concrete slightly. He ran his fingers through his short hair and grunted angrily, leaning his head against the cool cement.

"That's school property, Mr. Unger. I would appreciate it if you didn't do that," the bespectacled man said from behind him.

Barrett turned around to identify the voice, then looked away. "Not even going to pull into your office? We're just jumping right into the lectures?"

"I would prefer to do it there as the seating arrangements are far more comfortable," Ozpin pointed out, looking around at the metal benches, "but I thought now would be more appropriate, as well as poignant."

"Great," he grumbled sarcastically. He did not like where this was going.

Gail stood at the entrance of the locker room, completely split. He wanted to go in and comfort, and possibly punch, his friend, but he had a feeling that what he needed was a slap in the face a headmaster might be able to provide. "Hey," he heard the leader of team RWBY call from his left, "are you OK?"

He nodded. "I'd be more worried about Barrett," Gail answered truthfully. His friend had gotten himself into more trouble than he thought possible in just a week of attending a new school.

"What happened back there?" The leader of team JNPR asked, concern and curiosity plaguing his voice.

"Something that Barrett's been dealing with for a while. He's had… anger issues for as long as I've known him, and from what I've heard, it's been a problem for a lot longer than that."

"What could've set him off like that?" Weiss asked.

"Well," Pyrrha surmised, "that faunus girl had been taunting him the entire match, used underhanded attacks and dragged the fight out for as long as possible."

Yang nodded. "That would frustrate the hell out of me, too."

"That's not hard, though, Yang," Ruby commented, earning a light scowl from her older sister.

"She's not wrong," Ren defended the blonde. "I like to think that I have a firm grasp of my emotions, but even I would find myself frustrated and annoyed."

"That contributed to it, sure," Gail corrected them, "but that wasn't the main reason." Everyone cocked an eyebrow and exchanged puzzling looks. "It's his axes. You may have been too far to see them, but did you notice how ornate they were?"

"They looked like antiques," Blake interjected as she had been the only one who could see them.

"You're right, they are. They were his father's." There was a moment of silence as everyone looked into the locker room entrance.

Weiss suddenly latched on to a specific word the young man had uttered. "Wait, you said 'were'," she stated. Gail nodded; the expression on his face was somewhat sobering. "What happened to him?" The heiress asked.

The hunter-in-training shook his head slightly, "You'll have to ask Barrett yourself. It's not my place to say. But just so you know, he really doesn't like people touching them; that includes me."

"Well, it's a good thing you were here to stop him," Jaune opined, letting a breath out.

"Yeah, that was some pretty fast shooting, there, cowboy," Yang teased as she leaned on his shoulder. "How'd you do that?"

He shrugged, "I was worried this would happen when I saw who his opponent would be. If I hadn't seen this before, I would've been too slow to stop it. I'm sure Ozpin or Goodwitch would have if I hadn't."

"How did you know what to look for?" Ruby asked.

Gail smirked slightly at the small redhead, pointing at his bottom lip. "Where do you think I got this scar?"

Professor Ozpin sat down on one of the benches before looking up at the student. "What do you want?" Barrett asked curtly, too exhausted to play anyone's games.

"I want to hear your side of this situation. I'm sure Ms. Messier will have a far different account, so I want to hear your version, since you are the guilty party here," Ozpin explained.

The student stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged slightly. "There's not much to say," he began, "I let her goad me into breaking the rules. It's not an uncommon tactic for them."

"'Them?'" The white-haired man reiterated, raising an eyebrow.

Barrett thought for a moment before his voice rose in anger, "I know what you're suggesting and I don't think I like it."

"I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, Mr. Unger, but to do that, you must cooperate with me," Ozpin clarified. "Anything that can be used to help paint a picture is helpful."

The berserker relaxed slightly before continuing, "I meant students from Shade. They don't fight fair; never have and never will."

"Do you know she is from Shade for a fact?" Barrett looked down at his feet and shook his head. "Mr. Unger," Ozpin leaned forward, alarmed at the student's excuse, "Marona transferred here from Atlas."

"She did?" He asked incredulously. Barrett scratched his chin in thought for a few moments before being pulled back to the conversation.

"Why did you assume she was from Shade?"

"Because," Barrett started, but stopped himself. "I don't know. I just… I don't know," he sighed.

"Barrett," the bespectacled-man began, catching the younger hunter's attention from the use of his first name, "I'm concerned that your anger may be getting the better of you. I read about your family in your file when you requested your transfer and I think they play no small part in your issues."

"Great," the berserker chimed sarcastically, "tell me something that hasn't been drilled into me by every half-baked head shrink who thinks they're opinions should be taken as fact." Barrett knew his outburst would not help in the slightest, but he did not care. Not at this point. "Who are you, anyway?" Barrett turned his attention on the older man in front of him. "Some old guy who thinks he can come in here and psychoanalyze me? Yeah, I appreciate the thought, but I've had more than enough of people like you."

Barrett turned his back to the headmaster and kicked a random locker, denting the door some. "Feel better?" He heard him ask from behind. His tone sounded genuine enough, but the statement itself felt sarcastic.

The young man groaned. "Not really. Kicking the door kind of hurt," he admitted, bending down to rub his sore toes.

Professor Ozpin waited for a few seconds, giving Barrett a chance to continue. When he did not, he thought it was time to tell him why he was truly here, "I want to give you a chance, Mr. Unger, I do. You're more than qualified to be here. Your grades aren't stellar, but it's passing. You have the skill and the drive to do so much good in this world." Barrett smiled at the praise slightly. He was, however, waiting for the 'but', as he could tell it was coming. "Your combat teachers made note of your short temper, however. I was hoping the reports were… exaggerated, but I can see that is not the case. So, I have come to a decision."

Barrett frowned, "And?"

"I want you to go back to Haven," the headmaster declared with a sense of finality.

"What?" Barrett almost whispered.

"I feel it's for the best. I want you to work through your anger problems. I hate to see you like this. You can't go around pretending you don't have issues to work through. Be with your family, spend time with them. It may do more good than you think. You can always request another transfer next year," he said, standing to leave.

"Professor Ozpin, please," Barrett pleaded, "give me another opportunity. I know I messed up, but I can fix this. Please."

"I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind. I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Unger."

Professor Ozpin began walked toward the locker room exit. Barrett stood motionless, staring at his feet. He clenched his fists as he tried to think of something, _anything_ that could possibly help. "Wait, Professor Ozpin," he called out, managing to stop the retreating white-haired man. "I'll do anything you want to me to. I can't go back to Mistral, I just can't. Especially not now."

Ozpin thought for a moment. "I feel that going back to Mistral is the best choice, but I also want to give you the chance to prove that you're better than all of this," he said as he made his way back to the distraught student, placing his hand on his shoulder. "I'll tell you what, if someone who previously had a spot drops out for whatever reason, I'll let you take their place. Does that sound fair?" He received a quick nod as an answer. "However, if I give you another chance, I implore you to see our school counselor, at least once. Is that a deal?"

Barrett sighed and looked away. It was his best chance, he knew that, but it did not mean that he had to like it. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try counseling one more time," he conceded with a heavy sigh.

"Thank you. I want to see you do great things, Barrett. You're destined for greatness," Ozpin offered as he gave him a comforting smile. "I would hate to see you give up because of a fixable character flaw. I know too many full-fledged hunters and huntresses with vices up to their elbows to give up on one who has a chance to change."

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin," Barrett nodded. "I won't let you down. I'm sorry for my outburst earlier, by the way."

"Think nothing of it. This isn't the first time a student has taken his aggression out on me and it certainly won't be the last." The headmaster turned to leave, but stopped again. "Oh, and please try to avoid Ms. Messier for the time being. I'm sure she would appreciate it," he offered with a smirk. With that, he was gone.

The young hunter sat down on the bench beside him. He really did appreciate the possible second chance, but he knew that was all it was. A possibility, and a small one at that. The chances of someone dropping out now were slim. He grimaced. _This is her fault,_ he thought.

"How is he?" Gail asked once Professor Ozpin had come into view from around the corner.

"He may need some time," he answered before overlooking all nine of them, "and a friend or two." Ozpin offered his student a warm smile before continuing onward with Glynda trailing close behind.

"I don't know what to say, honestly," Gail spoke aloud to no one once the two teachers were out of earshot. He rubbed his face with his hands, blowing out a breath. Suddenly, there was a hand that was gently placed on his shoulder from behind. He turned around to see it was the Mistralian Championess, Pyrrha.

"We're _all_ his friends. You're not alone on this," she declared. Everyone behind her nodded in agreement.

"C'mon, guys," he mumbled, "you've only known us for a little over a week. This isn't something you guys need to worry about."

"But we are worried," Jaune pointed out. "All of us."

Ruby added, "A friend's a friend."

"I agree," Ren started, "it doesn't matter how long you've known someone, what matters is the connection."

"Besides, I think we've all had enough of friends keeping secrets," Weiss commented, giving Blake a quick glance.

Gail ran his hand through his hair. He was baffled. He looked to the right to see even Yarri was giving him a comforting smile and a nod. "I don't know what to say. Thank you, guys." He turned toward the locker room and took a deep breath. "Well, let's go. We have a friend in need."

* * *

 _Heyo! I know its taken way longer than it should for chapter three to be released, and I do apologize for that. Between writing, starting a new job and my own crippling laziness, it took me a long time. Additionally, every time I went back to this chapter for editing, I found something about it that I didn't like, so I would change that. I'm still not 100% satisfied with it, but if I continued to sit on it, I'd either go f*cking bananas trying to fix all of it, or lose interest in the story, which, obviously, I don't want to do._

 _Anyway, there's something I wanted to address, namely, my characters' designs. I realized when I was writing this chapter that in terms of design, Gail and Barrett seemed very similar, so I really tried to point out things like Barrett's height/imposing size, Gail's glasses, things like that. I full well admit that I suck at designing characters. To give you an idea of what I'm going for, I loosely based Gail off of Son Gohan in the Resurrection F movie and Barrett is loosely based off of Aqua-Lad in Young Justice. I think Yarri is fine. I described her well enough in chapter one, so I think I'm good on that front. Marona, on the other hand, good lord did I have no idea what to dress her in. I also want to point out that, yes, Marona is supposed to be kind of annoying._

 _I just wanted to tell you guys that I do very much apologize for my tardiness, especially how I really haven't earned your patience yet and that, yes, I understand that my designs are less-than-stellar. I also want to point out, if I haven't already, that you shouldn't expect an A/N every chapter, as I won't have something to say every time._

 _Anywho, I am hard at work on chapter four already so hopefully it won't take nearly as long as this chapter did, and any criticism you have (and are willing to share with me) will be taken into consideration. I appreciate you reading, have a great day._


	4. Chapter 4

Barrett Unger stood at the back of the auditorium, a scowl plastered on his face. The room was adorned with decorations for the upcoming induction ceremony as it was the day that teams were to be announced. The massive room was mostly empty, as it was still a full hour before the event was scheduled to start. The young hunter gazed at the empty stage in silent meditation. It had been four days since the exhibition matches took place. Four days since his "incident." He rubbed his hand over his face. Thinking back on it, he could have handled the entire situation better, he understood that. The talk he had with Professor Ozpin was… insightful, to say the least, and he hoped that it had helped his standing with him, if even marginally so. However, he knew he ruined his chances of starting again. The headmaster had given him one hell of a saving throw, but it was all moot. The chances of someone backing out now were less than zero.

He had developed bags under his eyes as he had not slept properly in days. He spent more time tossing and turning and stressing out over whether he would be able to attend Beacon than sleeping. At this point, however, he had just accepted it. Clearly, fate was not on his side. He yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes, doing what he could to stave off his exhaustion. Leaning against the wall behind him, he slowly lowered himself until he was sitting on the floor.

Barrett's eyes wandered as he took in the sight of the auditorium. He had been in the sizable room before, but never when it was so empty. He finally had a chance to really analyze the architecture now that he was not distracted by a thousand other things. The white marble pillars that erected from the flawless tile floor reached all the way up to the ceiling. It was all built and sculpted to perfection. He was never one to care about such things, generally, but now that he had a quiet moment to think, he could not deny that it was impressive, to say the least. _Just another kick to the teeth, I guess,_ he thought, chuckling pathetically to himself.

...

"I thought my daughter would be safe here, away from people like him!" A towering distraught man shouted as he slammed his hands on the headmaster's desk. His blonde hair was smoothly combed back, his three-piece suit stretching over his muscles. He had a pair of horns that protruded from his forehead. A thin human woman stood next to him, her deep red hair was bobbed, she wore a formal coat and her skirt reached over her knees.

Professor Ozpin took a moment to readjust any miscellaneous items that had fallen over or moved due to the man's outburst before looking up at the man. "Your daughter _is_ safe, Mr. Messier," he began. "What happened on Monday has already been dealt with and the student responsible has been reprimanded accordingly."

"I don't want 'reprimanded'! I want this psycho dragged through the god damned streets!" The man seethed through gritted teeth.

"The student has gotten more than a slap on the wrist, I can assure you of that. He hasn't gotten away with anything," Ozpin attempted.

"Bullshit! If you had any spine at all, you would have him arrested for the stunt he pulled!"

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, almost amused, "On what grounds? This is a school dedicated to training hunters and huntresses. You knew the risk when you allowed her to attend Atlas. Her transfer to my school means nothing."

"'Means nothing'? You're an arrogant bastard, aren't you?!" He shrieked. "The video is all over the place online! You have no idea the amount of harassment my family has received over this!"

"Which is deeply regrettable-," the bespectacled man started.

"You can take your 'deeply regrettable' and shove it up your ass!" The faunus interrupted. The man's wife gently laid a hand on his shoulder to calm him, but he shrugged her off him. "There's nothing you can say because you're just as bad as that nutjob!" Ozpin shot the hulking man a challenging look. "Yeah," The man sneered, thinking he had the headmaster cornered, "I know you sat by while that whacko almost killed my daughter. It took another student to stop him."

The white-haired man took a long, casual sip of his coffee, much to the ire of the angered father. Ozpin finally set the cup down before folding his hands together in front of him, "I sympathize with you and your family, Mr. Messier. This is a very sensitive issue and I understand that. I also agree that the student in question had a dangerous loss of composure during the match." Ozpin took a deep breath before looking at the blond man over his glasses. "That being said, that does not give you an excuse to enter my office unscheduled and hurl insults and false accusations at me, my students and my staff, nor does it give you an excuse to tell me how to rebuke said students. Do not think for a second that your being upset gives you any sort of authority over me," he warned, earning an uncomfortable look from the husband. "Now," he continued, his tone softening, "if you wish to speak with your daughter, feel free. I can call her here, or we can meet her at her dorm room. Your choice."

The massive faunus turned to his wife, whispering to her before turning back to the headmaster. "Just bring her here," he grunted angrily.

...

Weiss made her way to the cafeteria, her stomach begging for sustenance. She tapped away on her scroll as she ignored her surroundings, passing by the occasional student. As the heiress passed by the auditorium, however, something caught her eye through the massive bay window. Turning her head to look at the sight fully, she discovered it was the berserker sitting against the far wall, looking rather pathetic. She raised an eyebrow and paused for a moment. Finally, she nodded to herself and walked back to the entrance of the auditorium.

Barrett lightly thumped his head against the wall behind him as he mentally kicked himself once again. _Boy,_ he thought bitterly, _did I screw this one up. But, that's usually how it goes for me. Misha, Kaneil, Himmel; I always manage to ruin a good thing._ He sighed heavily and slapped himself on the cheek. _Bad timing, brain. I can't think like that, especially not right now._

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, gently resting his head against the wall. He felt a nudge on his foot, followed by someone clearing their throat. He opened one eye and found a pair of icy blues staring back at him. "Oh, hey, Weiss," he greeted, offering her a small smile.

"What are you doing on the floor?" She queried, placing her hands on her hips.

The berserker shrugged before looking around, "Do you have any idea how comfortable this tile is?" His quip earned him a stern look. "I was just, you know, thinking," he told her with a quick sigh.

"Mhm," she muttered, crossing her arms. "It looked to me like you were sulking."

"Me? Sulk? Never," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I was heading over to the cafeteria to get something to eat. You want to join me?" She asked.

The berserker took one last long look at the stage before picking himself up off the tile and dusting himself off. "I could eat. So, sure," he shrugged before smiling earnestly. "Why the hell not?"

...

The large double doors opened to reveal a tall human blonde and a shorter redheaded faunus. The redhead rubbed her forearm up and down, nervously. Her eyes flicked upward to see two familiar faces. "Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Marona!" The mother breathed in relief as she rushed to her daughter, pulling her into a tight hug.

"What's wrong?" She questioned, returning the embrace in a confused, half-hearted manner.

"We were so worried about you! Are you OK?" The mother continued.

"I'm fine, mom," the young faunus nodded before raising a questioning eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"We saw what happened on Monday. We wanted to make sure you were safe," her father answered.

"Monday?" She wondered as she pulled out of the embrace. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? That kid almost killed you!" The blond faunus said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

Marona shook her head," Yes, I'm sure. It wasn't in any danger."

"Like hell you weren't," her father spat out. "He was inches away from taking your head off!"

"That's a little overdramatic, dad. He's an ass, sure, but he wasn't going to kill me. How did you hear about that, anyway?"

"There were videos online," her mother answered. "Your brother found them."

"Oh, well, a call would've been enough. I'm OK. That's all this is about, right?" She asked, looking around at all the room.

There was an awkward silence as her parents looked away, not wanting to deliver the news. Marona turned to the white-haired man who sat quietly behind his desk who only gave her a somber look. "Right?" She asked finally, a lump forming in her throat.

"Honey," the redheaded woman spoke softly.

...

Barrett and Weiss chatted idly as they got their food, easily finding a table in the mostly empty cafeteria. The pair ate in silence for a few moments as they took a few bites of their food. Finally, Barrett broke the silence. "So," he began awkwardly, "what did you get to eat?"

"An omelet," the heiress answered simply, tapping away on her scroll. Barrett nodded with a click of his tongue. He began looking around the room, searching for something to talk about. "Are you OK?" Weiss asked after a few moments of silence.

"Hm? Oh, uh, yeah," he stammered before clearing his throat. The white-haired woman rolled her eyes, set her scroll down on the table, and gave her company her undivided attention. Barrett sighed and scratched his ear nervously, "Sorry, I'm horrible at small talk."

"Well, that's good, because I hate small talk. So, don't give me small talk. Converse with me if you have something to say," she declared.

"Right," Barrett mumbled, thinking for a moment. He sighed as he scratched his chin, deciding on what to talk about. "Weiss, have you ever screwed something up despite you needing it, really badly?"

The heiress cocked an eyebrow at him. "Does this have something to do with you sitting on the floor earlier?"

"You can't answer a question with a question."

"Fine, fine. So, you mean, like, a school assignment?" She asked before taking a bite of her omelet.

"No," Barrett shook his head, "like, something important."

"School work is important," she stated, pointing her fork at him.

The towering student chuckled, "You may not be the best person to talk to about this stuff."

The white-haired huntress clicked her tongue softly, "Oh, please, you're the one being intentionally vague. It's not my fault I don't understand."

"Fair point, I guess."

"Seriously, Barrett, what's this about?" She asked, concern seeping into her voice.

The man across from her shook his head, "Don't worry about it, I'll figure it out."

Weiss scoffed, "What is it with you men?" Barrett raised an eyebrow at her. "Guys refuse to let anyone help them with anything. You don't have to do everything yourself, you know." The short-haired hunter looked down at his food guiltily, finding he had no response to that. Suddenly, Weiss reached across the table, gently resting her hand on his. "You aren't alone. You have Gail, you have us. You can trust others to help you along the way."

Barrett smiled warmly, "Thanks, Weiss. I know you're just trying to help. I don't mean to be a jerk, but I really don't want you to worry about this. It's not even in my control, anymore, honestly. If it works out, it works out. If not, tough shit."

"Fine," she nodded, tapping the back of his hand lightly before retracting her arm.  
Don't say I never tried to help."

Silence overtook them once more before Barrett decided to speak up again. "So," the berserker began, "some weather we're having, huh?"

"You did not just ask me that, did you?" She smirked challengingly. Barrett beamed in return.

The two continued to converse as more and more kids began to file into the cafeteria as the ceremony's start time drew close. Barrett watched the students mill about, talking and eating, before turning back to Weiss. "Where's your team?"

Weiss shrugged, "Ruby's probably still sleeping, Yang is at the gym with Ren and Nora, and Blake is doing whatever it is that Blake does in the morning."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, Blake isn't exactly a social butterfly, you know? Sometimes, she's sleeping, other times, she's at the café. Sometimes, she's just wandering around. She doesn't have a set routine."

"Ah, I see," he nodded before taking a bite of his food. "Not a morning person?"

"Is anybody?" Weiss asked rhetorically with a smirk.

...

"So, that's it?" Glynda Goodwitch asked the bespectacled man to her right. They were making their way to the auditorium from the exchange student dorm, passing by groggy students and faculty.

"You know how these things go, Glynda. Parents only want what's best for their children," Ozpin answered simply.

"We're huntsmen. They should understand that our profession puts us into dangerous situations."

"I would agree. However, until they reach the age where they're considered adults, we hold no power over what happens to the student."

"I know," Glynda relented as they opened the door to the backstage area, "it just doesn't feel right when such a promising student is pulled out like this. She had her problems, but nothing I couldn't beat out of her."

"Regardless, we have some last-minute changes to make to the ceremony," Ozpin said, pushing past a few workers.

The huntress raised a brow suspiciously, "Anything other than removing her off the list?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Ozpin nodded, "I made a deal with someone."

"It's not who I think it is, is it?" The blonde asked, stopping in her tracks.

"I think you're too hard on him," the headmaster remarked, turning to her.

Glynda groaned, "Damn it, Ozpin. He's too stubborn. He won't change."

"Why are you so sure of that?" Ozpin questioned.

"I've known too many people to know that deep-seeded anger like his doesn't go away," the blonde instructor declared, crossing her arms.

Ozpin chuckled slightly, "Well, I implore you to give him another chance."

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" She huffed.

The bespectacled man offered her a knowing smirk before he turned back in the direction that they were heading and continued down the hall, calling behind him, "Could you please inform Mr. Unger to come back stage?" With that, he rounded the corner, leaving the frustrated blonde huntress to begin performing her duties.

...

Gail sat in one of the few chairs backstage, nervously playing with the drawstrings on his back-up hoodie and tapping his foot on the wood floor. His best friend, the whole reason why he transferred in the first place, was in danger of not joining him. They had about thirty minutes before announcements, which did not leave a lot of time for him to snag a spot. He looked at the other students that were here. Most of them were either talking, sleeping, or excitedly bouncing in anticipation. He was the only one there that wore a worried expression that he was not shy about showing. He felt someone put a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw the small brunette's deep blue eyes looking at him, concern emanating from her. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah," he lied, before shaking his head, "no. It's Barrett."

Yarri raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Are you guys sure you aren't a couple? You seem to cause a lot of each other's stress," she teased.

Gail chuckled, "I'm not so sure anymore." He sighed and ran his hand through his thick, black hair, "Jokes aside, I'm really worried he won't be able to transfer."

"What? Why wouldn't he be?" Yarri asked.

As the young hunter explained the situation, there was a sudden amount of commotion as workers began jogging back and forth, stopping each other periodically to show them something on their scroll before moving on. The two students watched them, perplexed. "What's going on?" The archer asked.

"I don't know," Gail said before standing. "Hang on, I'll see if I can find out." He approached a worker who was typing something and tapped on his shoulder. "'Scuse me?"

"What's up, kid?" He huffed, not looking up.

"What's going on?"

The man glanced at him quickly before looking back down, "What do you mean?"

"The ceremony doesn't start for another half-hour," he pointed out, "why is everyone in such a rush all of the sudden?"

"Your headmaster will fill you guys in, so sit tight."

The man turned and walked away, leaving the hunter even more confused. He made his way back to Yarri to see she had taken his seat. She cocked her head questioningly at him. Gail shrugged, "Dude was being a cryptic dick."

"That rhymed," she remarked.

"Huh, I guess it did," Gail agreed as he chewed on the inside of his cheek in bemused thought before shaking his head. "Anyway, he said Ozpin will be filling us in soon, so we'll just have to wait and see."

...

Barrett found himself to be weirdly engrossed with Weiss and what she had to say. They were not talking about a subject that was particularly fascinating, but he noticed that he had not thought about his troubles for most of the conversation. That was until his scroll vibrated suddenly and it snapped him from his slight daze. His mind suddenly felt like it was being weighed down immensely once more. He grumbled slightly as he pulled it out of his pocket and discreetly opened it at his side. Furrowing his brow at the message, he hadn't even noticed his companion had stopped talking due to his lack of attention. She waited patiently for a few moments, but grew restless when he did not return his focus to her.

Leaning forward, she attempted to sneak a peek at the message, craning her neck. "I'm really sorry, Weiss," Barrett apologized as he looked back up at her, barely missing her frantically lean back into her original position, "but I've got to go."

"It's fine. Is it important?" She asked innocently.

"It could be. I'll talk to you later," he stated as he stood up and sped-walked to the exit.

Weiss waved to him with a smile until he was out of sight. Sighing, she began absent-mindedly pulling on the hem of her dress. "Hey-o," a familiar voice called out behind her. She turned around to see it was the orange-haired maniac, munching on a doughnut. She was being trailed by her usual black-haired, magenta-eyed charge.

"Hey, there you are. Where's Yang?" She asked.

"Still at the gym," Nora explained quickly as she and Ren plopped down next to her.

"Is that a doughnut?" Weiss queried.

Nora looked at the pastry, then at her teammate, then to the heiress before blinking. "Is this a trick question?"

"No," Weiss huffed, "I mean, I thought you were at the gym."

"I was. And then I got a doughnut."

"No, _I_ went to the gym, she tagged along because she wanted a doughnut," Ren clarified.

"Sh," Nora shushed him. "That's our little secret!"

"No one would believe that you actually went to the gym just to work out, Nora," Ren pressed.

"Whaaaaat? They totally would," she declared before taking another bite from her pastry.

"Uh-huh," Weiss nodded slowly. The trio sat quietly for a minute before the heiress took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. Turning to the pair, she looked the orange-haired hammer-wielder in the eyes before switching to the ninja beside her. "What do you two know about boys?" She asked quickly, a tint of pink smattering her cheeks.

Nora swallowed her food before turning to the Schnee, her face having changed from its usual care-free nature to a serious expression. "Lots," Nora answered. "What do you wanna know?"

...

Barrett walked into the auditorium to find that it had filled up rather quickly. Students and faculty alike stood around, chatting while they waited for the event to start. He made his through the crowd way and up the stage steps, brushing the curtain aside. Looking in, he found himself among a little over twenty other students standing around, waiting for the ceremony to begin. He spotted his black-haired friend, but before he could say anything, he felt a hand drop down on his shoulder. He turned to see the headmaster giving him a small smile. "Good morning, Mr. Unger," he greeted. The younger hunter returned dryly. "I wish to speak with you privately. You can spare a few moments, can't you?" The berserker nodded. "Good," Ozpin gestured for the student to follow, which Barrett accepted readily. The pair walked in silence, passing busy workers as the milled about, writing things down or setting up electronics.

They finally stopped in front of an innocuous white door that Ozpin promptly open, ushering Barrett in. The room was clearly a small breakroom. It had two vending machines pressed up against the far wall and a small table was placed in the center. Ozpin made his way over to the far side of the table, pulling out a chair.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Ozpin asked as he sat down.

"Um," he stammered in confusion, "okay, I guess."

"Did you sleep alright?" The older man continued.

"Fine," the young hunter answered curtly. "Professor Ozpin, is there a point to calling me back here?" He asked, trying to get to the point.

Ozpin gestured to the seat across from him, which Barrett accepted wearily. "Mr. Unger, do you remember what I said to you on Monday?"

"Which part: kicking me out or giving me slightest bit of hope for something that would never realistically happen?" Barrett half-joked without thinking. He was surprised to hear how bitter he still was about it.

"The second, if you please," Ozpin answered.

"Then, yes, I remember, obviously."

Ozpin smirked, "Well, that 'something that would never realistically happen' _has_ happened."

Barrett sat in silence for a few moments before his eyes widened. "Wait, you don't mean that something actually happened, do you?"

"It has," Ozpin nodded slowly.

"Yes! Ha-ha!" The young hunter shouted and pumped his fist in pleasure, a mirthful grin overtaking his confused scowl. "Who was it, if you don't mind me asking, sir?" He wondered after he had settled down some.

"I cannot discuss that with you, Mr. Unger," Ozpin answered leaning back. "But, rest assured," the bespectacled man took a lazy sip from his coffee cup, "a spot has opened."

"And a deal's a deal, right?" Barrett asked hopefully.

"I am a man of my word, as long as you remember your side of the bargain," Ozpin remarked, his voice stern.

"I do, professor. You don't need to worry, I won't slip up again."

"I certainly hope not. I would hate for you to prove Ms. Goodwitch correct."

"Wait," Barrett said, biting his lip in concern, "what do you mean?"

"She has her… reservations about you. I chose to ignore her council, so I do hope you don't waste this opportunity," the headmaster clarified.

Barrett shook his head emphatically, "Trust me, sir. That's the last thing I want, too."

"That's good to hear. We've already changed the roster and placed you in the open seat. I think you'll be pleased with the team you've been assigned to."

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin," the berserker bowed his head in appreciation, "you have no idea what this means to me. I don't know how to repay you."

"You can start by taking your studies more seriously. 'Barely passing' is no longer acceptable," the headmaster smirked.

The young man scratched his cheek bashfully, "Right, of course. I'm an all-new Barrett." Ozpin raised an amused eyebrow. "I'm a man of faith, now." Both men chuckled heartily.

"Well, then, it's almost time. I suggest you get ready for the ceremony," the cane-wielding man pointed out, standing up.

Barrett nodded excitedly, "I'll be there. Just give me a minute, please." Ozpin nodded in understanding before leaving the room.

Barrett exited the room a few minutes later and walked back the way he had come. He stopped just before rounding the corner to take a few breaths, trying to steady his excitement. Once calmed, he turned the corner and began pushing his way through the eager crowd. His eyes scanned for whom he was looking for before they landed on his friend. Immediately making a beeline for him, the bespectacled young man looked up and noticed him. His eyes opened wide.

"Barrett?" He exclaimed incredulously. "What are you doing back here?"

"What do you mean? This area is for new students, isn't it?" He asked playfully, feigning confusion as he looked around his surroundings.

"Wait," Gail said as he stood, "you're in?" Barrett beamed at his friend. "Ha-ha, you are one lucky son-of-a-bitch, you know that!" He called out as they clasped hands and pulled each other onto a tight hug. The crowd quieted down as they all turned toward the scene the two were making.

The small brunette approached the pair and looked at the taller of the two. "Congrats, Barrett. Gail told me about what happened," she nodded.

"Thanks, Short Stuff," the berserker nodded, giving her a quick high-five.

"Very funny," she deflected as she crossed her arms defiantly.

"It _is_ kinda funny," Gail opined. He chuckled when she stuck her tongue out at him. "So," he said, turning back to his towering friend, "do you know what team you're on?"

"Not a clue. Do you?" The green-eyed hunter shook his head. "Well, we'll find out in about ten, won't we?"

"Guess so," Gail trailed off. "Damn, dude, you had me scared, you know that? I thought you were just going to leave me here after all of that convincing you did."

The short-haired hunter chuckled lightly, "At least it wasn't boring."

"You can say that again."

"Can all students, please make your way to the stage?" A sudden announcement over the intercom blared.

"I think that's our cue," the black-haired hunter remarked as everyone began lining up and filing out of the curtain.

"What are we waiting for, then?" Yarri asked challengingly, cutting in between the two and getting in line.

"You heard the lady," Gail nodded, slapping his friend on the shoulder. "C'mon."

...

The ceremony began without a hitch. After a brief aside about Marona Messier's sudden withdrawal and a rousing follow-up speech given by Professor Ozpin, the various teams were beginning to be formed. Several had already been selected as Gail, Barrett and Yarri awaited their assignments. The former was bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly and, admittedly, nervously. His friend played with his fingers behind his back, keeping what could be seen as composed as was possible. Yarri did her best to conceal her face in her scarf, terrified by the number of eyes on her.

"Yarri Morez, Barrett Unger, Gail Holt, Miotal Zheller," Professor Ozpin called through the microphone, "step forward." The four did as instructed before pacing over to him, stopping underneath the large screens that displayed their names and profiles. "You will be known as Team MUHZ (Muse), led by: Yarri Morez." The announcement was met by the usual cheers and applause, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

There was a sense of finality to the message, like any and all troubles that had plagued them in the past were now exactly that: in the past. The four descended the steps to their right and joined the other now complete teams and stood by, waiting for the ceremony to finish.

"I can't believe they made me the leader," Yarri whispered, keeping her deep blue eyes on the stage.

"You'll do great," Barrett offered, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Another team was announced just then, so they clapped out of respect. Once the noise had died down, Barrett looked down at her and grinned toothily. "They picked the perfect person to lead this ragtag group of misanthropes," he remarked before leaning over to look at their fourth member, "uh, plus one. We'll find out later if he's one of us."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"No problem, Short Stuff," Barrett quipped. He was not looking at her, but he could feel her glare burning into the side of his head.

...

About a half-hour later, the ceremony ended with a thundering applause from all those present. After a closing speech and a warning to let the transfers know that classes started for them bright and early on that following Monday, they were released to acquaint themselves with their dorms and team members.

Team MUHZ was approached by teams RWBY and JNPR as they launched a hail of congratulatory comments and embraces at them. Barrett beamed when his eyes landed on the white-haired huntress. Returning the smile, the heiress approached him, holding out her for him to shake. With a hearty laugh, the towering figure wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, hoisted her up and spun her around before finally setting her back down. Her face had flushed completely, any natural color leaving her skin, only to be replaced with a redness that rivaled Pyrrha's hair.

"W-what was that for?!" She exclaimed, frantically straightening out her skirt.

"I don't know," Barrett shrugged, "it just felt appropriate."

"T-that's it? That's all you have to say?" She interrogated him.

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad."

"N-no, it's not that, I- I just- it's-," she stumbled over her words, her face still redder than a lobster, "at least warn me next time," she whimpered before brushing past him. Barrett frowned slightly and bit his lip, feeling guilty for having embarrassed her. Unbeknownst to the young hunter, however, she was fighting back a wild smile.

Gail and Jaune clasped hands and pulled each other into a friendly hug, slapping each other on the back. "Congrats, man, you're officially one of us," the blond declared as they disengaged.

"I appreciate it," Gail nodded. "I-,"

"Congratulations!" Was the only warning the black-haired hunter received before being tackled to the ground from behind, letting out an involuntary _oof_ at the surprise attack. He landed face-first into the tile, the orange-haired ball of hyperactivity landing on top of him gracelessly.

"Nora!" Ren called out from a few feet away, jogging toward the group.

"Whoops," Nora sang, clambering off the black-haired hunter. She and Jaune bent down to help him up, gripping both of his arms. Once he was back on his feet, Nora smiled innocently, "Sorry about that. Sometimes I don't know my own strength."

"S'okay," Gail wheezed as he rolled his shoulder, "you didn't break anything… I think."

"You sure?" Jaune pressed.

"Don't worry, guys. I'll live," the bespectacled hunter nodded, rubbing his aching ribs. The magenta-eyed student finally caught up to the group, slowing down to take a few deep breaths. Once fully recovered, the two shook hands.

"How do you feel?" Ren questioned.

"Bruised," he huffed.

"No, I meant now that you're a student of Beacon," the ninja clarified.

"Oh, well, good. Great actually," Gail answered, dropping his hand down on Ren's shoulder. "I appreciate it. Everything, I mean. You guys have made this transition as smooth as possible."

"Of course. What are friends for?" Ren responded with a slight smile.

Gail blinked at him. "Did you just smile? I didn't even know you could do that!" He teased.

"It does happen from time to time, believe it or not," team JNPR's fourth member commented as she approached, stopping next to the blond knight.

"Must be a special occasion, then," the bespectacled hunter chuckled.

"Special enough," the redhead nodded. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Thanks, Pyrrha," Gail nodded. Her simple 'congratulations' meant far more to him than she realized.

The group was soon joined by the blonde brawler and her sister, Ruby. Yang slapped the bespectacled hunter on the back harder than Gail was expecting, knocking his off balance slightly. Yang shrugged, offering him an enthusiastic, "Congrats!" as recompense.

"Thanks, Yang. I'm glad you and Ruby were here."

She beamed, "Of course we'd be! We're all really excited you're finally here permanently."

"I hoped so," he remarked, shooting her a smirk.

"So," she began, leaning on his shoulder, "what's next for Team MUHZ?"

"I don't know, I'm not the leader. But I would guess moving our stuff into our dorm and team building stuff. Who knows?" He shrugged.

"You guys should make bunk beds," Ruby suggested.

"What? Why?" Gail asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Because they're awesome," She shrugged.

The black-haired hunter chuckled and nodded, "Well, I'll make sure to mention it."

"Have you met your fourth member yet?" Pyrrha interjected.

"No, I think he pretty much bolted the moment the ceremony ended," Gail remarked, looking around the auditorium. "I don't even really know what he looks like, to be honest."

"He seems like a quiet one," the championess remarked.

"Clearly. I've never seen him before in my life until now," the black-haired hunter mentioned.

As the three teams chatted, the staff and faculty began ushering the students out of the auditorium, herding the stragglers toward the doors. Students walked passed the sizable group, either slipping around or in between them. "Looks like that's our cue to go," Jaune pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess so," Gail nodded and turned to his new teammates "We should be heading to our dorm, anyway. Our stuff's probably waiting outside."

The other two nodded in agreement before saying their goodbyes and taking their leave, waving to their friends as they disappeared into the retreating crowd. There was one final chorus of last minute congratulations as the three members of the newly formed Team MUHZ exited the auditorium. It was time to meet their fourth member.

* * *

 _Howdy. I told you chapter 4 wouldn't take long. Man, my chapters always seem so much longer in Word. I keep thinking they're gonna take two days to read because they always end up being 16 or 17 pages long, but then I reread them, and I realize it takes me, like, 5 minutes. I'm working on writing more substantial chapters fot you guys, but its not easy. I'm trying._

 _I went back and reread my previous chapters and I think the improvements between the dialogue in 2 and in 4 is kinda surprising. Everyone feels a bit more natural, the interactions feel more real, if you will. I don't know, that's just how I feel._

 _Anywho, I actually thought this was a pretty solid chapter, overall. I liked the dialogue and character stuff, but I would anyway, obviously, because I wrote it. I'm curious to see what you think of all my OCs(donotsteal) and if I've managed to stay true to the already-established characters. I try with Blake, I really do, but I'm very bad with her. I have no idea how to write Sasuke-type characters and I have no idea what to do with her. Angst is one thing, but she's a whole 'nother level.  
_

 _The two biggest I'm actually worried about is Weiss and Yang. I don't think I'm consistently funny enough to pull off Yang very well, and I'm nervous I'm making Weiss too open. My reasoning for this is because this is post-Blake faunus reveal (For teams RWBY and JNPR), so I feel that she would try to be a bit more open and willing to listen to the problems of anyone she considers a friend. I don't know, maybe my fears are unfounded, or maybe I'm screwing it all up. I can't read your minds._

 _Chapter 5 is underway. It was originally part of chapter 4, but it didn't flow at all, so I moved it to next chapter. I promise, bigger plot stuff and more comedy is coming soon. I've got lots of ideas, but I wanted to use my first few chapters to not only establish the new team and create interesting, three-dimensional characters, but also establish the close friendship between Gail and Barrett, as well as the friendship with all nine other characters. Hopefully, I'm succeeding. I'm also probably going to be adding Sun and Neptune (UGH, Neptune... more on that another time, if you want to hear it) in soon, so if you're fans of them, then be at least a little hopeful I won't screw them up too bad._

 _Honestly, I've tried to keep Gail and Barrett equally interesting, but I've found that with the backstory I've given Barrett, he's going to be the more interesting character right off the bat. My plan is to have Gail gain more depth through his interactions with others and the future actions he takes. If all goes to plan, then they both will end up being as interesting as the other. The other reason is because I really wanted to avoid giving either of them, Gail especially, a really broody-angsty backstory because that veers danger close to stereotypical fanfiction "omg so edgy" territory. We'll be learning about their pasts soon, I've just got to be careful with how I do it. I don't want it to either A) come out of nowhere, or B) come off really forced, like I'm just putting it in to get it out of the way or to force a conflict. I want it to be as natural as possible._

 _Pairings are a thing, yes, if you are the sort of person who cares about that. However, I will refer to them as relationships from now on because I hate the word "pairings." Makes me feel like I'm one of those "i ship jaunexvelvet" types of nerds. Not judging if you are, but I'm just saying that that's not my thing. I think at least one of them is super obvious, and the other one_ **was** _planned out a certain way, but now that I've started writing, I may actually change it. Who knows? It might be OC with OC, or it might be OC with a different pre-existing character. We'll find out, won't we? It's an adventure for all of us._

 _Personally, I actually see relationships as an important part of character development and not a prerequisite for all characters. Honestly, I'd prefer to see no relationship over a poorly developed one or one given to a character that doesn't need it/shouldn't have one. For example, I find it kind of weird that Yang is originally portrayed as somewhat boy-crazy, but its actually Weiss, Blake, Jaune and Pyrrha who have gotten love interests and not her. Not to say any of the relationships in the show are bad (love Jaune and Pyrrha, I like Blake and Sun, but I wish they'd just f*ck and get it over with already, and Weiss and Neptune share a chemistry that can be best described as "two people"), but I do find it odd. On the flip side, however, I don't want to see anything resembling a pairing with Ruby. At least not yet. Maybe later, or if they get the right character, but not presently. Personally, I'd love to see Yang deal with a boyfriend. I think that'd be fascinating._

 _Anyway, I've made a slight change to chapter 1 to accommodate a ret-con I made in this one, namely, changing the number of transfer students. It was pointed out to me that it didn't make a lot of sense to only have, like, seven transfer students, so I changed it in this to somewhere over twenty, after all the vetting. I then had to go back and change it in 1 so it made sense._

 _Man, I keep saying that there won't always be an A/N, but I've put a super long one in every chapter so far, at least from what I remember. I don't fact-check myself very often. I probably should, lest I go the Akira Toriyama route, i.e. completely forgetting about plot points and characters. I usually don't think I'll have something to say in an A/N about the chapter, but then I end up having a shit ton to say._

 _I should be done with this A/N. I appreciate you reading this far, if you have. Feel free to give me any critique you wish, I welcome it all._


	5. Chapter 5

Gail, Barrett and Yarri stopped in front of their dorm room to find their luggage had been placed beside the entrance. They could hear muffled heavy metal music blasting on the other side of the door. The trio exchanged confused looks before collecting their belongings and entering. The moment the door opened, they were assaulted by the sounds of wailing guitars and heavy drums, followed by a chorus of screaming vocals. They scrambled inside, desperately seeking to shut off the deafening music.

Barrett was the closest to the boombox that sat on top of the desk to their immediate right, so he reached over and slapped the "off" switch, breathing a heavy sigh of relief as the music stopped. The three heard a loud scoff from their left, followed by a, "The hell, man?"

They looked at the source to find a teenager leaning against the headboard of the bed he had claimed for his own on the far side of the room. He sported a frayed, open, light denim vest, an orange t-shirt, a pair of slim gray sweatpants that tightened at the cuffs and black sneakers. One of his pantlegs was pushed up to just underneath his kneecap and was held in place by a red bandana that was tied around his calf, just below the cuff. The sides and back of his silver hair were shaved, leaving a shaggy top that was supported by another red bandana that was tied at the base of his hairline. He had dim fuchsia eyes that seemed to absorb any light that hit them.

The room itself was furnished in the most basic way possible. Four beds were lined up against the far wall underneath a large window. Each bed had a nightstand set next to it and a lamp on top. A bookshelf was placed against the wall a few feet to the right of the doorway and a desk to the left. A coat rack was placed directly to the right of the door. There was a small bathroom off to the side. Miotal had already put up several posters on his portion of the walls of his favorite bands.

"Sorry, man, but that was way too loud," Gail stated as the three entered, Barrett and Yarri stopping to hang their coats on the rack. He plopped his bag on the second-to-last bed and unzipped it.

"For you maybe. Did your parents tell you it was okay to touch other people's shit?" The punk asked, clearly irritated.

Barrett cocked an eyebrow at him. "Look, man, we already apologized. We don't care if you listen to music, just keep it down."

The punk scoffed again, grabbing a pair of headphones off his nightstand and slipped them on, "Whatever," he muttered resignedly, turning the volume up to max.

Barrett looked at his friend with a puzzled expression, earning a shrug and a dismissive eye roll from the bespectacled hunter. With a shake of his head, he set his bag down on the bed next to his silver-haired teammate and began unpacking. Yarri placed her bags on the bed on the opposite end of the room, next to Gail and closest to the bathroom. They unpacked in silence, the only noise was coming from Miotal's headphones. Any cheery moods they could have had was ruined by their surly fourth member. Barrett glanced up at the punk, irritated by the muffled guitar riffs and deep bass. He quickly shook his head, going back to folding his clothes.

He reached into his bag, pulling out a small photograph that was clearly old as the edges were tinted a slight brown and the photo itself was aged and faded. It depicted four people, three preteens and an adult, smiling and arms wrapped around each other. He studied the picture for a few moments, analyzing the lightly tanned girl and her bright chestnut hair that reached down to her back. The boy next to her was the smallest, his skin tone was noticeably darker, even in the old photograph. His hair was a washed out light blue, the color loosing saturation as it reached the top of his shaggy hair. On the far right was an older woman, her midnight hair pinned up behind her head. The last one was none other than a young Barrett, smiling nonchalantly next to the other boy. Barrett felt his lips curve upward slightly in nostalgic memories before he was ripped from the pleasant memories by a particularly loud and fast-paced drum solo that quickly became the bane of the berserker's existence at this moment.

Barrett frowned and set the photograph off to the side. "Hey," he called to Miotal. He waited for a few seconds. Receiving no reaction from the punk, he called out again, a bit louder this time. Nothing. Huffing, he walked around his bed and over to the silver-haired student, tapping him on the foot.

"What?" He drawled out, annoyed, pulling his headphones down around his neck.

"Could you turn your music down? We can all hear it," Barrett asked, trying to be as polite as possible.

Miotal scratched his chin exaggeratedly, feigning deep thought. "No," he said finally, putting his headphones back on and refocusing his attention on his scroll.

The berserker closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tapped the punk on the foot again. The fuchsia-eyed punk looked up, shooting his teammate an irritated expression as he pulled his headphones off again. "Listen, I'm really trying to be nice, here. So, turn your volume down, or we're going to have a problem," Barrett warned. Miotal rolled his eyes as he pulled his headphones back up, sticking his middle finger up at the towering hunter.

"That's it!" Barrett seethed, reaching down and ripping the headphones off his irritant's head.

Miotal immediately jumped up and attempted to shove the berserker. However, due to Barrett's size, Miotal only succeeded at bouncing off the towering student, causing him to lose his balance slightly. "You asshole! Who the hell do you think you are?" The punk yelled at him, stepping as close as he could to the man who stood a good few inches over him.

"The guy who's going to kick your ass if you don't get out of my face," Barrett threatened, his lips curling back some to bare his teeth.

"I'd love to see you try," the punk sneered smugly.

Gail looked back at Yarri as tensions mounted between their teammates. The archer gave him a concerned look, but did not make a move to calm them. Gail raised his eyebrows as he gestured toward the other two with his head. She shook her head desperately, eyes widened in a shocked plea. He shrugged in response before turning back to the pair of dueling egos. "Yo!" Gail interrupted, whistling sharply to get their attention. "Chill out, both of you!" He stepped aside, revealing Team MUHZ's shy leader. "I think she's got more of a right to speak than any one of us right now."

Yarri wanted to hide her face, to shake her head and tell them everything was fine. But she could not. She was in the light, now. She was responsible for three other people now and she could not let them tear each other apart; not yet, at least. She had to step up. Clearing her throat and puffing out her chest confidently, she looked at the towering student, shooting him a stern glare. "Barrett," she spoke, a sudden confidence lining her voice, "apologize to him."

The berserker pointed at himself, confused. He opened his mouth to protest but stopped when he looked in her deep blue eyes. There was a strength there he had never seen before. However, there was also a plea. She wanted show them she could be their leader, but he could tell the title terrified her. He sucked on his lip, fighting the urge to hurl dispute, and turned back to the silver-haired punk lazing on the bed. "Sorry," he ground out.

The punk fired a shit-eating grin at him, "Oh, neat. Can you sit and roll over, too?"

"Hey," Yarri snapped at him before Barrett retort, "you need to apologize as well."

"No way in hell am I doing that," he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, fuchsia eyes still trained on the most threatening presence in the room.

"Yes, you are," the brunette ordered sternly.

"Listen, babe," he sniped as he stepped around Barrett, "the day I start taking orders from you is the day I start listening to country."

Yarri felt her confidence begin to dissipate, but she managed to keep her head high. "Professor Ozpin-," she attempted.

"Can shove it up his ass," Miotal finished crudely. "This school is for the big kids, darlin', and there ain't room for children like you."

"I-I'm the leader," she stuttered, her words coming out more as a whimper than the declaration it was intended to be, much to her aggravation.

"You're the leader of this team as much as I'm the king of Vale," he sneered. "What have you done to earn it, huh? What have you done to prove that you're the best pick for team leader?"

The archer shook her head, "I-it doesn't matter! What matters is that I'm the leader!"

"You're right! Let the little girl that has no leadership experience whatsoever lead us! I'm sure you won't get us killed on our first mission!"

"S-stop it!" She yelled back, her deep blue eyes beginning to glisten. She attempted to fight back, but she felt the words fail her as they snagged on the lump forming in her throat.

"Your skin is too thin," he continued, scanning her up and down, "look at you, about to cry from a few mean words. You're so pathetic. I've seen puddles of water with more backbone than you do."

Yarri was on the verge of tears. She sniffed every so often, the redness in and around her eyes, the way her stare was transfixed on his torso as to conceal her sadness and anger from him. She was trying so hard to be the alpha, but it was falling flat and only getting worse.

"Hey, asshole," Gail interjected, stepping in front of his leader defensively, "what's your problem? You like making people cry because you're too much of a child to turn your music down a little bit?"

"Who're you? Her girlfriend? Go back to ramming your boy toy over here," He sniped as he jerked his thumb over to Barrett. The berserker snarled angrily. "Oh, he's right," he said, slapping himself on the forehead, "there's no way you're on top. He's definitely the pitcher."

Barrett shoved Miotal in the shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly. "I'm going to shove your teeth down your throat," he seethed.

"You don't have the balls," the punk fired back.

"If anyone takes it, it'd be you. What's up with your outfit? You look like you should be an understudy at _Chip & Dale's_," Gail fired back.

"Stop it, all of you!" Yarri shrieked, attempting to take control of the situation again. She could no longer fight back the tears that welled up.

"And what are you going to do about it, huh?" Miotal yelled back, turning back to her. "You couldn't get me to shut up with that 'faked confidence' routine, what makes you think that you can boss me around when you're about to cry? Why don't you go back to the little leagues and save us all from your incompetence!"

There was a sudden silence as all three men stared at their team leader, waiting for something, anything. The young huntress could feel the salty streams slide down her cheeks. Gail took a step toward her, his hand reaching out to comfort her. She sniffled twice, biting down on her bottom lip in a desperate attempt to stop the flow of tears. She felt Gail's hand touch her shoulder, but she immediately shrugged him off before running out of the room, leaving the door wide open. Gail immediately called after her before turning to give one last death glare at the rocker and rushing out after his leader.

The silence maintained in the room until Barrett heard Miotal mutter an insult under his breath. He felt something in his brain snap. He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the fuchsia-eyed punk by the lapels and slammed him into the wall next to them. Miotal's feet dangling a few inches above the floor, Barrett reared his fist back, ready to plow it into the punk's face.

Miotal's lips curved upward smugly. "You won't hit me," he declared confidently.

"Oh yeah?" Barrett snarled. "And why's that, tough guy?"

"'Cause I ain't a faunus," he retorted with a sickeningly confident grin, "and we both know how you feel about them."

Barrett's biceps tensed as he prepared to smash his fist into his face, imagining the satisfying sound the hit would make. Instead, however, he slowly lowered the punk to the floor with a vicious growl. "I won't give you the satisfaction," he seethed through clenched teeth. He turned around and took a step to follow his friends. He stopped when he heard Miotal make an intrigued sound. He turned back to see him holding the picture he had laid out on his bed.

"Who's this?" The silver-haired rocker taunted, pointing at the younger female in the photo. "She's cute. Is she single?"

There was a resounding _crack_ as Barrett's fist collided with Miotal's jaw, the unexpected powerful behind the attack easily breaking through his aura completely and causing crimson liquid to spew from his lip and gums. The streaks of blood splattered across the floor. The victim lost his balance and almost toppled over, the only thing stopping his complete collapse was his bed. Barrett stood above his teammate, breathing heavily.

Miotal sneered, reaching up to wipe his chin. "I'm shocked," he chuckled. "You do have some balls."

Barrett did not even bother retorting, opting instead to try and follow his friends. He cursed himself mentally for allowing himself to be goaded into losing his composure once again. As he stomped down the hallway, he could barely hear Miotal call out, "Looks like this is going to be far more interesting than I thought!"

…

Yarri rushed through the paved walkways, no idea where she was headed. All she knew was that she was far enough away from her dorm and that was all she needed. The tears in her eyes felt never-ending as they continued to streak down her face. Finally, she came to stop next to a large, ornate fountain before looking around at her surroundings. She found herself in a vibrant garden, flanked on all sides by luscious bushes and an array of brightly-colored flowers, ranging from roses to lilacs to daffodils and everything in between. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the heel of her palm. Sitting on the lip of the fountain, she listened to the water spew out of the nozzle at the top, overflow out of the concrete trays and slap the basin below. A few students walked by and gave her a weird or concerned look, but, ultimately, chose to continue walking instead, deciding not to involve themselves. Her scroll began ringing, breaking her out of her thoughts. Pulling it out, she frowned at the caller ID: Gail Holt. She did not want to talk to him, but answered anyway, knowing he would not stop otherwise.

"Hey, Yarri?" He said as soon as she picked up.

She bit her lip, unsure of how to answer. "Yeah," she uttered finally.

"You okay?" He asked, already knowing the what she was going to say.

"Not really," she muttered pathetically.

She heard a deep sigh on the other end. "Yeah, I know. It was mostly a formality," he chuckled before taking a long breath. "Where are you?"

Yarri shook her head, "I don't want to talk right now."

"C'mon," he cooed, "you never know. It might help."

"No, I mean, I don't want to talk to you," she clarified.

"Yeah," he huffed, "I get it, I'm an asshole."

"Do you?"

"Better than I think you'll give me credit for at the moment."

"Good," she nodded, pulling the scroll from her ear to hang up, "then leave me alone."

"Wait!" She heard him call out, causing her to stop. "C'mon, give me a chance. I'll get you something to drink and meet you there."

The huntress sighed. "You won't let up otherwise, will you?"

"Nope. C'mon, tell me what you want and I'll get it for you, my treat."

"Fine," she huffed. "I'm in the gardens. I'll just have whatever you're having."

"Okay, so, two black coffees-"

"No, wait," she interrupted, "not black. Cream and sugar."

"Alright, cream and su-"

"Wait, hang on," she interrupted again, thinking for a moment, "I'll get a chai tea, instead."

"Cream and sugar?" He asked with a light sigh.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Okay, then. When I bring you the tea, you're not going to have a sudden change of heart, are you?" There was a long pause on her end. "Yarri," he warned.

"Maybe I'll just get a hot chocolate?" The brunette wondered.

"I swear," she heard him mumble. "That's your final answer. I don't care if you change your mind."

Yarri giggled, "Okay, okay. I won't change my mind."

"Okay. So, see you in a bit?" He asked, making sure she was still alright with it.

"Yeah," she nodded, sniffling slightly, "see you in a bit."

Gail made his way into the courtyard, holding two Styrofoam cups. The sky was completely clear, not a single cloud tainting it. It was painted a slight hue of yellow as the sun just began to set, adding a light tint to the otherwise pure blue. He blew a breath out in protest to the chilled weather, the breeze picking up in response. He found his teammate sitting on the lip of a large fountain in the center of the large ring of shrubberies, rubbing her bare forearms to keep herself warm. He smiled slightly as he approached, calling out a greeting. Yarri returned the smile and sat up, eagerly reaching out for her warm drink.

Handing it over to her, he took a quick glance around him, gazing at the vibrant flowers and extravagant cobblestone pavement. "You picked one hell of a nice place to have an existential crisis," he quipped, earning a slight chuckle. Slowly easing himself down onto the fountain next to her, he spoke up, "So, how are you doing?"

She shrugged, looking down at her feet, "I don't know. I don't feel good."

"Yeah, I think that goes without saying," Gail remarked quietly. Silence was his only answer.

The two sat together for a few minutes, taking quiet sips of their warm drinks, warding against the cool autumn breeze and making passing remarks about nothing ever-so-often. As the hunter took a deep swig of his coffee, the steam from his coffee snaked up, causing fog to build up on his lenses. He grunted, taking off his glasses to clean them with the hem of his hoodie. Yarri giggled slightly.

"The price of being a nerd," the black-haired hunter grumbled quietly as he slipped them back on his face, then looked at his company. He sighed lightly as he thought of the best way of starting the conversation they needed to have, even if neither of them wanted to. "Yarri," he began, gazing at the near-black liquid in his cup, his expression sobering some.

"Gail," she interrupted, catching him off guard, "I don't appreciate what you did back there and I really don't want to talk about it. I really don't."

"Then listen instead," he said with a slight bite in his voice. "I'm sorry for what happened. I forced you into making a move you didn't want to make in a situation you weren't comfortable with."

Yarri frowned, "I thought you understood what I meant when I shook my head. I'm not good at… _dealing_ with people, I never have been."

"I know," Gail relented, nodding. "I guess I thought that maybe letting you take over, it would give you a chance to open up a little."

"I would prefer to do that on my own terms, thank you," she stated bitterly.

"If you didn't do it now, then, when would you?" Gail asked earnestly.

Yarri thought for a moment, tapping a finger against her cup. "When I felt it was time," she responded finally.

"Now was as good a time as any," the black-haired hunter pointed out, taking a sip of his coffee.

"And you saw how well that went," the archer commented. "I can't deal with people, Gail, I just can't. I never will be, either."

"Oh, spare me," he retorted with a scoff, earning a cocked brow in return. "So, it blew up in your face. Big deal. Sometimes, it just happens. You won't always be able to defuse situations. That's just a fact of life."

"Easy for you to say," she grumbled.

"Yeah, it might be. But, do you know _how_ I got better at this? I worked on it, just like you do with fighting. Talking to people is just a battle of words."

Yarri shrugged, running her finger around the rim of her cup. "But, in seventeen years, I haven't gotten any better at it," she whined.

"You won't even try, then? You're, what, just going to give up because of one failed attempt?" Gail interrogated. "You've only been leader for a few hours, max. Give yourself a _little_ bit of credit." He noticed her bob her shoulders in quiet protest. "Yarri, do you even _want_ to be team leader?"

The brunette sat quietly, mulling over the question. After what felt like minutes, she looked up into her teammate's eyes. "Yes," she nodded.

"Then _be_ the leader."

Yarri sighed deeply, absentmindedly twisting a lock of chocolate hair around her finger, "I don't know if I can. I'm too easy to ignore. I'm not threatening like Barrett, I'm not composed like you, I can't even fight back like Miotal," she berated herself, a lump forming in her throat. "It's always been like that. I've always been on the sidelines, getting pushed around by others."

"Do you want that?" He earnestly, looking up at her.

"No! I mean, yes… I don't know. I kind of like it because I can just focus on myself," she shrugged, "but, I hate it because then nobody takes me seriously when I do have to take charge. They do what Miotal does."

"Well," Gail breathed out, leaning back slightly, "what kind of reaction do you want from people?"

Yarri shook her head, "I don't know… I don't want either. I guess I just want people to respect me."

"I can understand that." Yarri cocked her head at him questioningly. "I've, uh, done my fair share of disrespecting people and things," Gail explained, scratching his cheek sheepishly.

"What do you mean?"

The young hunter shot her a playful look, "Uh-uh, I'm here to help you, not the other way around."

"Oh, c'mon!" Yarri pleaded. "You can't say something like that and then _not_ explain it!"

Gail laughed before shaking his head, "Maybe another time. We're here for you."

"Fine," she pouted before sighing heavily, "I just… I guess I feel like I should be able to do more, but then, when I think about doing it, I just don't."

"You ever thought about changing it?" Gail asked.

"I can't," she shook her head.

"Yes, you can," he urged.

"No, I can't! I've tried, but I can't do it! I'm too cowardly, too quiet, too complacent!"

The bespectacled hunter shook his head, "No, you're not."

"What do you know?" She asked bitterly.

"I _know_ that you're not cowardly because you're the person who kicked seven shades of shit out of me a few days back," he answered with an encouraging smile.

She looked down at her feet and shrugged slightly, "You said it yourself, it was a tie at best."

"That's not true. You were whooping me, I could barely stand up straight by the end." Yarri cracked a small smile. "And, sure, you're quiet, but there's a huge difference between being reserved and being complacent. Look at Ren; he might be quiet, but do you think he takes anyone's shit?" Yarri bobbed her shoulders again. "Not good enough? Fine, then. Look at yours truly," he said, spreading his arms out. "You're looking at the guy that who almost gave up on transferring because it seemed like too much work for what seemed like such a small reward."

The brunette looked up at Gail, "Really?"

"Oh yeah," he nodded, "I almost did that. Thankfully, Barrett talked me out of it."

Yarri leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees. "But it's different for me," she mumbled, shaking her head.

"How so?" Gail quirked an eyebrow.

"You could choose to transfer or not. You had the ability, you just had to figure it out. I don't think I can be a leader for four years," she mumbled pathetically.

"It doesn't matter what you think. You're the leader of team MUHZ now. You can't sit back and let others take over and you certainly can't second-guess yourself; not anymore. Back in the room, I saw that you wanted to change, to be that leader," Gail commended, offering her a warm smile.

Yarri looked down at her feet again, a light pink tinting her face. "I know, and I tried. I really did," she muttered.

"I know you did," he nodded, placing his hand gently on her shoulder, "and I'm impressed with your willingness to change." Gail sighed as he looked down at his cup, "You were talking about how you aren't as imposing as Barrett or as composed as I am, but you should realize that Barrett usually makes things way worse when he really gets into it. And me, I pretty much devolved into hurling insults by the end. You were the only one still trying to fix things." He wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her into a loose side-hug. "You're stronger than you think. You're a fantastic fighter and a great friend," he stated softly.

Yarri stiffened at the hug, but quickly relaxed, nestling comfortably into her teammate's side, much to his surprise. His eyes widened slightly, the unexpected closeness throwing him off somewhat. However, he rapidly eased and allowed her to rest on his torso. "Thank you, Gail," he heard her mumble softly.

The pair sat on the edge of the fountain for a little while longer as they finished their drinks, listening to the ambient sounds of the fountain behind them and the breeze flowing through the leaves of the bushes around them. Finally, as he downed the last of his coffee, Gail felt his scroll vibrate in his pants pocket. He gently reached into his pocket, being careful not to make any jarring movements, and answered the call.

"Hey, man," the brunette heard him greet his friend, "yeah, we're all good. We had a little heart-to-heart." He paused, listening to the response as he glanced down at the huntress resting against him with a soft smile. "We're just chilling now. Yeah, yeah, yeah," he answered before pulling the scroll away from his ear to check the time. "Yeah, we'll be heading back soon, don't you worry your pretty l'il head off. Nah, we'll just meet you at the dorm room. Uh-huh, uh-huh. You didn't. You did? What for? Damn, dude. Mhm. Well, I'd be lying if I said I was all broken up over it."

Yarri listened to the one-sided conversation, hearing only Gail's half of the witticisms and snarky remarks. Imagining Barrett's responses, she began giggling to herself. She was surprised to find out how well she could emulate her teammate's personality and sense of humor. Not having thought about it until now, she began to realize how well she knew both Gail and Barrett. She smiled gently at the thought. To have two good friends such as them was a god-send. She was never the type to make a lot of friends and she hadn't been in Vale for several months. She had nobody besides her family. At least, she did not, until now.

"Mhm," she heard, tuning back into reality, "yeah, alright, see you in a bit." Gail hung up and stuffed his scroll back in his pocket, retracting his arm from around her neck before nudging the brunette slightly to get her up.

"What's up?" She asked, straightening up some.

"It's getting late, so we should be heading back to the dorm. Barrett'll meet us there," he explained as he stood up, stretching his arms and back. He turned to Yarri and offered his hand.

She smiled and accepted it. "OK," she nodded as she began stretching as well. She had not noticed until now, but it was surprisingly cold without the warmth of the sun as it had dipped below the trees, especially now that she was not being heated by Gail's body warmth.

The black-haired hunter noted her shift in posture as she began hugging herself lightly. "Cold?" He asked. She nodded slightly as she rubbed her biceps with her hands. "Here," he said, sliding his hoodie off and handing it over to her, "put this on."

"Don't you need it?" She asked, concerned.

"Nah, it's only a short walk to the dorms. I'll survive," he answered with a simple shrug.

She smiled as she accepted it. She slid it over her head and pulled it down to cover her stomach. The sleeves hung over her hands most of the way and the hem reached down a little lower than her waist. She giggled softly at the size. "Better?" He asked honestly.

"Much," she nodded back.

"I'll need that back, by the way," he remarked. "It's the only jacket I have left and I'm not going to let you ruin that one, too."

"I have no clue what you're talking about," she shrugged innocently as she trotted ahead. Gail chuckled lightly and shook his head before quickly catching up with her.

The pair walked slowly toward the dormitories, chatting idly. A sudden breeze picked up, causing Gail to hunker down, his black t-shirt doing nothing to fight the cold.

"Cold?" Yarri asked, looking up at him.

"Little bit," he answered truthfully. He felt an abrupt weight on his left arm, pulling him downward a touch. He looked down to see the brunette hanging on his arm, wrapping hers around his.

"Better?" She asked, a small smirk on her lips.

Gail beamed, "Better."

…

They approached their shared dorm room, still arm-in-arm, stopping in front of the door. Gail reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll. Before he could unlock it, however, he felt his companion tug on him softly. He looked at her questioningly. "What's up?"

She stood in place for a few moments, her head down, eyes staring at the floor. "Gail," she began slowly, "do you think I could be a good leader?"

"Didn't we already have this discussion?" He asked, a bit confused.

Yarri looked up at him, her deep blue eyes locking onto his green eyes. "No, I mean, do _you_ think I could be a good leader?" She stressed.

The young man stood in slight shock before his expression softened. "Of course, I do," he nodded, smiling warmly.

She returned the smile, "Okay, then. Let's go."

Gail nodded in agreement and turned back to the door. Just as he went to unlock it, he felt her soft, slender hand wrap around his, her fingers interlocking with his. His lips curved upward a tad as he inserted his scroll into the slot next to the door. They heard mechanisms slide metal across metal, followed by the quiet _thunk_ of the electronic lock retracting.

The young hunter reached up and grabbed the doorknob, looking back at Yarri one more time. She looked a little apprehensive, but willing to enter nonetheless. Offering one final encouraging grin, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

* * *

 _Hello, again! Thanks for reading, if you have. I expect at least a few of you have given up on actually reading the chapters and are only here for the A/N and my charming personality, which, let me be clear, I cannot fault you for. I want to thank all of you for making it this far into the story (I say, only five chapters in), but I'll admit that I am a bit of a snob when it comes to what I read. I need to have certain things checked off if I want to continue a story past the first two, maybe three chapters. Honestly, of the ones I am currently reading, there are only, like, three that I actually enjoy enough to be excited about what's coming next. So, if I've managed to do that to you, then thank you, I'm glad I'm striking a cord with you. If you're just reading because this story fills the void in your soul until the ones you actually do care about release the next chapter, then I still appreciate your viewership and, hey, maybe I'll be able to strike your fancy and become a favorite of yours one day._

 _So, this chapter was a surprising amount of fun to write. It really just started as a "I kind of have to write this chapter," but it ended up being way more in depth than I meant. Honestly, I wasn't even expecting to go where I did with Yarri and Gail, but it felt really natural when I was writing it. Now, I will say that this does not confirm the relationship, but it definitely means that it's a possibility. Don't worry, this isn't going to be a harem thing. I do not enjoy harems, so if Gail does end up with someone, then its going to mean something, god damn it! I'll admit though, despite actually having a lot of fun writing this chapter, I do its not as strong as chapter 4._

 _More Barrett stuff, which is always fun. I finally gave Yarri something so that's cool, too. I do recognize that she's definitely got the least going on so far, so hopefully this gives you more of a reason to care about her. Originally, Yarri was not going to have this big of a presence in the story, so that's probably why she's felt so one-dimensional thus far._

 _A big thing I wanted to work on in this chapter is the dialogue. I went back and reread my previous chapters and I can definitely say that, without a doubt, one of my least favorite things about them, with the possible exception of chapter 4, is that the dialogue goes from 0 to 60 way too quickly. What I mean is that the characters won't be having a serious conversation, just shooting the shit, when BAM! Sudden angst. Take chapter 2, for example. While I do like the interaction between Rosalyn and Gail, I feel that it just kind of happens. There's really no build-up, no real segue to introduce the angst, it goes from "No, I don't want to bore you with my problems," to "My father tried to stab me with the sharpened end of a Hot Wheels car." So, in a nutshell, I wanted to make the conversations a bit more natural and flow much better. I don't want that weird dichotomy. I want it to feel like two real people having a real conversation. I hope I succeeded with that in this chapter, particularly with the huge fight MUHZ gets in at the beginning. That's probably the weakest point in the chapter, in my opinion. I hope I made Yarri's breakdown believable as well. I've seen that happen at fast-food places and the like where a customer won't get exactly what they wanted and will just tear into this 16 y/o cashier that probably had nothing to do with how their order was made and make the poor girl cry. I definitely modeled the fight after those kind of stories._

 _So, yeah, Miotal. What a d-bag, amirite? Don't worry, he's not going to be like that forever, it should change relatively quickly. Nobody likes C U Next Tuesday type of characters, myself included, so he'll change. I just don't want to rush that for obvious reasons. What do you think about his character design, by the way? I tried to be a bit more creative in my efforts (i.e. no direct inspirations to steal from),_ _so I hope you liked it._

 _Now, yes, I know what you're probably thinking. "Wow, a character that's assigned to a team as team leader struggles with fulfilling that role? What a novel concept. I can see that you're really taking a bold step in a new direction, taking risks that not everybody will agree with, and really advancing the medium to a whole new level." And to all one of you (and even that's being generous) that said that unironically, I'll let you know when I'm going to cum. To everyone else, shut your hypothetical mouths! It's my story so if you don't like it, don't read it!_

 _Just kidding, of course. I do acknowledge that it isn't anything groundbreaking, but like I said, it kind of had to happen. The fourth member had to be introduced, there had to be something to happen that makes it interesting. Plus, I really wanted to give Yarri something to do and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to do so. I hope I made Gail and Yarri's... "thing" feel as natural as possible. It really was 100% unplanned. so I have no idea how well it worked out. I liked it, but that's kind of a given, considering I wrote it. I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts._

 _Anyway, all-in-all, I'd probably rate this chapter a 5/7. The kids still say that, right? That's still a thing? I'm still cool and relevant, right, guys? Civil disobedience, FTW! plz luv me_


	6. Chapter 6

Gail's head lulled in the palm of his hand as he fought back his boredom, his heavy eyelids wanting to put him back to sleep. Despite it being the last class of the day, closing out his first true week in attending Beacon, he found it impossibly hard to stay enthused about anything that was being said when the teacher was so _ungodly_ boring. He never knew someone could be so pillow-smotheringly dull. He thought it to be physically impossible. It went against the laws of nature. To be fair, they _were_ a teacher after all, but even then, he would have thought, at the very least, any hunter that had become an instructor would have some kind of likable personality or interesting character quirks. Maybe he was giving them too much credit, as this was just a substitute, here to fill in the role that the infamously absent Professor Peach he has heard so little about left open on a regular basis. After his head drooped for the seventh time in a minute-and-a-half, he sat up straighter, yawned loudly, and ran his hands through his disheveled hair. It did not do much to help, however, as the sub's monotone voice kept him in a constant state of exhaustion.

A slip of paper dropped down over his shoulder and landed in his lap. He stared at for several seconds before looking up and back without turning around to see Jaune pointing to the note and snickering next to Nora. Gail looked at the teacher, whom was busy sketching equations out on the white-board, and unfolded the paper in his lap. It revealed a rather... unflattering drawing of said sub, complete with a massive nose, bushy eyebrows, and buck teeth. The bespectacled hunter-in-training managed to catch the laugh in his throat, containing it to a throaty chortle. He slid the picture over to his team leader who sat in the aisle seat next to him. Yarri took a quick glance it and shook her head, wanting to judge them for such immaturity. She quickly realized that she could not, however, when it managed to illicit a small chuckle from her along with a resigned grin. Just before she could hand it back, however, she was made by the substitute as he all but teleported next to her.

"What do you have there, young lady?" The teacher interrogated, causing her to jump in shock and let out a small yelp.

"Nothing, sir!" She answered weakly, stuffing the paper into her blazer pocket. "I don't have anything!"

"Right," the man grunted in his weirdly flat voice, "show me what's in your pocket."

"I don't have _anything_ in my pocket to show you, sir! Honestly!" The instructor narrowed his eyes at her, his gaze rife with accusations and suspicions. "I mean, what, do you think I have an insulting drawing of you? Because, I totally don't have that!" Yarri finished unconvincingly and flashed him an innocent smile.

Gail slapped himself on the forehead and let out a disbelieving sigh.

"See me after class," the teacher ordered unenthusiastically and gave her one last glare before methodically pacing back to the front of the room.

Yarri groaned and dropped her head onto the desk with a dull thump. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks," Gail whispered in her ear.

"Why me?" She whined.

...

Class ended soon after and the students bolted for the door, save for the chocolate-haired huntress. She proceeded to the front desk and waited until everyone had left, including her teammates. Gail and Barrett stopped outside the door, deciding to wait for their leader. "I kinda feel bad," Gail said finally, idly watching the other students exit the classroom and head in different directions.

"You should," Barrett agreed.

"Wow, thanks."

"What? You think I was gonna tell you it wasn't your fault? How long have you known me?"

"Hey, if anything, its Jaune's fault," Gail pointed out, "he's the one that drew the damn picture." A cold autumn breeze blew through the open halls, giving the two a chill.

"Good gods, these blazers don't do shit for insulation, do they?" Barrett commented with a huff, earning a grunt of agreement from Gail as he let out a quick breath into his hands to warm himself.

"Did you know their are these things called, 'jackets'?" They heard to their right. They looked over to see the blond knight slipping on his usual hoodie, his blazer draped over his right arm. "They were, like, man's third invention," he finished.

"Hey, would you look who it is, Barrett? The man responsible for us being out here, in the cold," the black-haired hunter said, placing his hands on his hips.

"You're absolutely right, Gail. Do you want me to drag him out of here and kick his ass?"

Gail tapped his chin with a finger, feigning to be deep in thought. "Nah, we'll just do it right here. Who would know?" He declared with a devious smile as he cracked his knuckles.

"Now that might just be the best damn idea I've ever heard!" Barrett nodded, stealing an evil-looking glance at the knight.

"N-now, hang on, guys!" Jaune stammered as he took a step back, "w-we're all friends, here, right?" He looked at his own team for help. Nora looked away, whistling innocently as she feigned obliviousness to his impending doom, Ren shrugged, and Pyrrha gave him a, "you knew this was coming," look. "Guys?" He pleaded before looking back at his two assailants. He swallowed in fear before turning and attempting to sprint away.

That attempt was quickly thwarted, however, when Gail leapt onto the blond's back and tackled him to the ground. The two wrestled on the ground for a few moments, neither managing to get a proper hold on the other. The others that were not involved in the melee heard the occasional, "Hey, let go of my leg!" and grunts of pain and exertion. Before too long, however, Barrett became rather impatient. He reached down, clamped a hand on Jaune's hood and hoisted him to his feet, wrapping his arm around the blond's neck and pulling him into a headlock.

"Ah, Barrett! Leggo o' me!" Jaune shouted in protest.

"Let me think about that," Barrett teased as he squinted his eyes in thought, the knight futilely squirming under his grip. "No, I don't think so."

Finally, Pyrrha let out a quick giggle at her leader's plight and stepped up. "Alright, boys, I think that's enough. He's learned his lesson," she said.

"Oh, fine," Barrett huffed and released the blonde, whom collapsed to the ground in tired heaves.

"Aw, c'mon, Pyr," he wheezed out, "I had 'em right where I wanted."

"I'm sure you did," she agreed as she offered her hand to him, Barrett doing the same for his friend.

"I'm sensing sarcasm in there," Jaune noted as he accepted her hand and pulled himself up.

"I don't think Pyrrha even knows what that word means. She's too nice for that," Barrett quipped.

"Oh, you're absolutely right, Barrett. I have _no_ idea what that word means," Pyrrha demonstrated with a surprisingly confident smirk.

"Alright, alright, I get it," the berserker said, his hands raised in front of him defensively, "forget I said anything."

"You're one helluva wrestler," Gail commented as he dropped a friendly hand onto the knight's shoulder.

"You must be really bad at it then," Jaune sniped.

"You guys are sassy today."

"We're fabulous, not sassy," Nora corrected, wagging a finger in the hunter's face.

"Is there a difference?"

Nora thought for a moment, "Good point."

"So," Barrett interjected at the break in conversation, "you guys are hitting up the town with us tonight, right?"

"Oh, I didn't hear about that," Pyrrha said and looked at Jaune, who shrugged.

"Yeah, us and team RWBY are going. Yang wants to make it a _thing_."

"Don't worry, it's not a _thing_. Like, its a thing, but not a _thing_ , you know?" Gail pointed out.

"Is it a thing or not?" Ren asked.

"It is," Barrett nodded.

"But it isn't," Gail stated.

The two members of team MUHZ smiled in amusement as they watched the cogs in the heads of Nora, Jaune and Ren turn. "But, wait, so- hang on- it is a thing, but not, while also being a thing?" Jaune stammered out in confusion.

"What's so difficult to understand about this?" The black-haired hunter questioned.

"Everything!" Nora responded in bewilderment.

"Either way," Pyrrha interrupted with a chuckle, putting a hand on Jaune's forearm to get his attention as he was still staring at his hands, trying to work through the problem, "we'd love to go,"

The knight awkwardly stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and nodded, "I mean, yeah, obviously, we'll be there.".

"Cool, I'll let Yang know," Gail responded and pulled out his scroll.

"If that's the case," Ren suggested, "we should go and get ready."

"Good idea," Jaune nodded. "We'll see you later, guys!"

"See ya!" Barrett called out as the two watched their retreating forms.

Once team JNPR had turned the corner, the berserker faced his friend, "Hey, I'm actually going to take off, too."

"Where are you going?"

"Out," he answered simply.

"Now? Aren't we going downtown?"

"We are, I gotta go get changed."

"We can all do it at the same time."

"I got something I need to take care of beforehand."

"Alright, then, be cryptic. See if I care."

"Aw, poor baby," Barrett retorted, giving Gail a light slap on the cheek, "you'll live. I'll wait for you guys in the city square. Come down when you're ready."

"But..." his protest trailed off when his friend sauntered off down the hall and disappeared around the corner.

With an annoyed sigh, Gail leaned up against the wall behind him and crossed his arms over his chest.

...

Five minutes passed before the classroom door finally opened, revealing a rather upset-looking Yarri. She blew out an annoyed puff of air that pushed her bangs out of her face. "Hey," a voice called to her from her right, startling her. She turned to the source and found it to be her teammate.

"Woah, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Gail apologized, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, Gail, hi," she stammered out before looping a lock of hair out of her face, "it's fine. I just didn't know you were waiting for me."

Gail cocked a brow at her, "What else would I be doing?"

"I dunno, off harassing Barrett somewhere."

"If anything, he's the one that's does the harassing. Besides, he was here earlier, but he took off for some reason."

"Oh, okay," Yarri nodded as they began walking back to the dormitories. "Sorry, that took so long."

Gail shrugged, "It's fine. What did he want?"

"Nothing interesting. He was just going on and on about how 'passing notes is bad' and how it 'distracts from your studies' and blah, blah, blah. He just wouldn't stop talking!"

"Ah, the best kind of lectures."

"You have no idea," Yarri mumbled. "It was like getting chewed out by Professor Oobleck, but he also just got done with a lobotomy that completely removed his personality."

Gail burst into a fit laughter, "Ouch! You got beef with Professor Oobleck?"

"No, I mean, I like him fine, but, like, you get it, right? He does a lot of talking."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Gail teased, "he might just talk your ear off out of spite."

A silence overtook them as they walked along, the archer hugging close to the hunter. They passed by the odd wandering huntsman-in-training or faculty member and made their way across the courtyard. Yarri stole a glance at a pair of students that were walking the opposite direction, hand in hand. She thought for a moment before finally breaking the silence.

"Hey, Gail?" She asked quietly, looking up at the hunter with a nervous smile.

"What's up?"

"Um... do you- are you...?" She stumbled over her words as she struggled to find the right combination. She felt her pale cheeks heat up to a dull pink.

"'Am I' what?" He asked, somewhat confused.

"Uh...," she let out a sigh before shaking her head, "nevermind."

"You sure?"

"Yeah-huh," she smiled.

"Okay, then," he responded skeptically, eyeing the brunette suspiciously before shrugging. "Whatever you say."

...

Ruby rapped her knuckles against the metal door a floor below her own team's room. She waited patiently with her teammates and the members of team JNPR, the young leader rocking on her toes. Their was a slight pause before the door finally opened slightly, revealing half of a silver-haired teen about their age. He narrowed his gaze at her and the others. Finally, he asked rather brusquely, "What do you want?"

"Oh, hi, you're Miotal, right? I'm Ruby Rose, it's nice to formally meet you!" She said cheerily and extended a hand in greeting.

The punk looked down at her hand then back at her smiling face. "What do I care?" He grunted.

"Well, you're on team MUHZ, right?" She asked as she cocked her head. "We're good friends with your teammates."

"Get to the point, Girly."

"We, um, were wondering if your teammates were here?" She answered, taken aback slightly by his abrasiveness.

"Nope. Go away," Miotal said flatly as he shut the door in her face.

Ruby stared at the closed door for a moment, trying to figure out what went wrong. Eventually, she turned to the rest of the group, giving them a confused look. "Uhhh, what just happened?" She asked, pointing a thumb behind her.

"What happened is he's an asshole," Yang responded and crossed her arms over her chest.

Jaune took a step forward, "Hang on, Yang, let's just try again. Maybe it was something we said."

The knight knocked on the door and waited, hands behind his back. The door opened halfway, once again, leaving only half of the punk visible. "I told you they ain't here," he stated immediately, "take a hint."

"I think we got off on the wrong foot, here. We were actually hoping to wait for them inside," Jaune responded, leaning against the door frame.

Miotal quirked an eyebrow at the blond, "Why?"

"It's a little surprise for Gail. It's a special day."

"Yeah?" He asked, feigning enthusiasm.

"Yeah!" Jaune answered with real enthusiasm.

"Well, that's real sweet and all," he began, his voice quickly flat-lining again, "but, I want no part in it. That means, 'go away.'"

Jaune's smile quickly faded as the door was unceremoniously slammed in their faces, yet again. He stared at the closed entryway in contemplation for a moment before slowly turning around to face the others and asked, "What just happened?"

"Who called it? That's right, me!" Yang declared, pointing to herself as she took Jaune's place. "Allow me." She pounded her fist against the metal door.

The door opened slightly once more and Miotal shouted angrily, "Listen, assholes, what the hell don't you understand about 'go aw'-"

He was cut off by the blonde brawler as she shoved against the door and barged in, causing him to stumble back.

"That's one way to do it, I suppose," Weiss commented as the others filed in.

Yang whistled, "Nice digs. Shame you don't have bunk beds."

"What the hell's your problem, you stupid bi-" Miotal began shouting before he was grabbed by the collar and pulled toward the blonde.

"You're not gonna want to finish that thought," she threatened coolly.

He glowered at her before brushing her hands off of him and walking over to his bed. "Whatever," he grumbled to himself as he sat down and put his headphones on.

There was a long silence in the room as the eight teens looked at each other before shaking their collective heads and finding a place for themselves as they waited for their last members.

...

Gail and Yarri entered the dormitories and approached their room, idly chatting about their old teams. Gail waved his scroll across the electronic lock and opened the door. "Well, I told him not to kick the door open, but what's the first thing he does? He kicks the door op-" the hunter was cut off by a deafening cacophony of celebration. Gail let out a scared yelp and practically leapt out of his skin.

"SURPRISE!" The nine teens yelled out, their party blowers dangling from their lips.

"HEY, SHUT THE HELL UP!" Miotal yelled from his bed. They all looked over at him as he pulled his headphones back over his head.

"What is his _problem_?" The heiress scoffed as she placed her hands on her hips.

"He sounds a lot like you," Blake teased.

"He does not!" She shouted back, stomping her foot against the floor.

"Does too," Yang chimed in, earning a scowl in return.

Gail shook his head. "Ignore him, he's always like that."

"We noticed," Jaune retorted.

"So, what are you all doing here?" The black-haired hunter questioned.

"What do you mean? We're here for you!" Ruby called out as she skipped up to him.

Gail crossed his arms and let a wry smile cross his lips, "Did Barrett put you guys up to this?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny. But, yes, he did."

"He's an asshole," the hunter responded before feeling a tug on his sleeve. He looked over, expecting to the archer, but was instead met with the end of a party blower slapping his on the cheek as it let out another celebratory shout. A wide grin broke out as he looked into her deep blue eyes, her face smiling over the party favor still dangling between her lips.

"He got to you too, huh?" He wondered aloud, snatching the blower out of her mouth and holding it over her head.

She immediately leapt up to take back her stolen party favor. "It's what you get for not telling your team leader it was your birthday!" She responded, her nose scrunched up in frustration.

"To be fair," Gail began, still giggling from her failed attempts, "I didn't tell anyone. I'm pretty sure Barrett's the only one who knows."

Yarri finally gave up on recovering her stolen blower and pouted, arms cross, "That's stupid."

"You're stupid," he retorted immaturely.

"Nope," Nora cut in, wrapping an arm around Gail's neck, "she's right! That's pretty dumb."

"So?" The bespectacled hunter shrugged. "My birthday's never been treated like a big deal, so I don't treat it like it is."

"Wait, wait, wait, so, you're telling me that your parents never did _anything_ for you?" The ginger asked incredulously. Gail shook his head. "No cakes?"

"When I was a little kid."

"No bouncy castles?"

"Nope."

"No balloons?"

He shook his head again, "Uh-uh."

"No _clowns_?!"

"No, but from what I hear, I don't think I was missing out on anything special."

Her eyes suddenly grew wide with terror. "Clowns..." she whispered darkly.

"You've never even _seen_ a clown, Nora, calm down," Ren answered flatly.

"No, Ren. I _have_ seen them... in my nightmares."

Gail blinked before stating, "Let's move on before we hear anything that can't be unheard."

Jaune nodded, "It's for the best."

"I have a new topic idea, then," Weiss interjected. Everyone present looked at her, brows raised. "Where's Barrett?"

"Awww, you miss your boyfriend!" Yang swooned as she scooped the heiress up in a tight hug.

"Ruby!" The white-haired huntress gasped. "Your sister is crushing me!"

"Yang, drop the Schnee!" The small redhead ordered sternly.

Yang quickly released her teammate and scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "Oops, sorry. I got caught up in the moment."

"There was... no moment..." Weiss clarified in between ragged breaths, "I think... you crushed... my ribs."

"Don't be such a baby!"

"So, ignoring whatever that was," Gail began, "I have no idea where Barrett is. Knowing him, though, it's probably something that'll get us all in trouble."

"Oh, good. I can't wait to be suspended," Jaune joked.

"I wouldn't count on the punishment being so... light."

"Fantastic..."

"That sounds like fun!" Nora exclaimed as she began bouncing on one of the unoccupied beds.

"Probably not nearly as fun as you think," Gail corrected her, inwardly sighing at his neatly made bed being ruined.

Suddenly, Yang groaned aloud, catching everyone's attention.

"What's your issue?" Weiss questioned, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Who cares about that? We're all waiting on you, Cowboy!" She answered, gesturing to the black-haired hunter.

"Me?" He asked, pointing to himself. "What for?"

"It's your special day!" She stated enthusiastically. "You're the birthday boy!"

Ruby nodded ecstatically, "Yeah, she's right! What's your first order of business?"

"Well, first order of business is to get out. I need to get changed," the black-haired teen ordered as he jerked a thumb at the exit.

"Ooh, who knew that you'd be your own birthday stripper!" Yang announced in a teasing tone as she sat down on one of the empty beds. "You may proceed."

"Well, if you insist..." Gail joked back with a grin as he began to seductively remove his blazer and loosen his tie, "Don't say I didn't warn you, ladies."

Yang whistled loudly in approval until she felt a hand tighten around her arm and was yanked off the bed by the small brunette. "Out!" Yarri squeaked as she whirled around and pushed everyone toward the door. The blonde brawler stifled a laugh, but could not stop the smile from spreading across her face.

"Alright, alright, sheesh. You don't need to tell us twice," Nora muttered under her breath as she was ushered out the door.

Gail watched with an amused look as Yarri frantically slam the door before making his way across the room and gathering up some clothes to wear, Yarri doing the same and entering the bathroom to get ready.

"I _hate_ your friends," he heard Miotal whine on the other side of the dorm.

"Well, no one likes a miserable prick like you, anyway, so it all works out," Gail retorted as he pulled his collared shirt off.

"Suck a dick," the punk returned tiredly.

"Hey, how's that bruise?" He asked rhetorically, smiling victoriously when he saw the silver-haired teen flip him _the bird_. "Still sore, huh? Good."

...

The city square was bustling with people as they ventured to and fro, enjoying the cool, cloudless Friday evening. The group of hunters-in-training easily found their final member leaning against a large statue, playing on his scroll. He had a backpack placed by his feet. He glanced up at the approaching group and beamed at them. He quickly stashed his scroll in his pocket and bent down, grabbing the bag and throwing it over his shoulder. He waved at them as they approached. "Hey, guys! I've been waiting forever!" The berserker called out, unnervingly cheery. Gail blinked at him, his brow raising in worry. "What?" He asked.

"Who are you and what have you done with my friend?" Gail demanded.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're so... cheery. It's weird."

"Oh, c'mon, why wouldn't I be happy? It's my friend's birthday!" Gail narrowed his eyes at the towering teen suspiciously. "Alright, well, these help, too," he continued as he pulled the backpack off his shoulder and rummaged through the it, pulling out what looked to be Nora's photo ID and handed it to him.

"Barrett," the bespectacled hunter began slowly, concern lacing his voice, "why do you have Nora's ID?"

"WHAT?! You stole my ID?!" She shrieked. "I'll break your legs!"

"Huh?" He cocked his head at her. "No, look at the date."

"Nora, you're not twenty-five, are you?" Gail asked her, not looking away from the ID.

"'Course not! Do I look it?" She asked, turning to Ren with a panicked look. "I don't already have wrinkles, do I?!"

"You look fine, Nora."

"Okay, so, Barrett," Gail began, still staring at the ID in his hand, "why do you have an ID for Nora that has the wrong info on it?"

"It's a fake ID," Barrett answered, his voice thick with exasperation.

Gail finally looked up at his friend, his brow raised in confusion, "Okay, so, why do you have a fake ID for Nora?"

"I don't have one just for her, I have one for all of us," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Again, I ask, why?"

"Dude, so we can go drinking!"

"Ohhh," Gail hummed, finally catching on, "good thinking."

"I have to ask, now," Weiss interjected as she raised her hand in the air, "why?"

"'Cause it's fun," he shrugged. "Don't you wanna get tanked?"

"Isn't it a little early for that?" Blake asked.

"And a little _illegal_?" Weiss added.

"Only if we get caught," he winked, "and it's after five o'clock, who cares?"

"But what about Ruby?" Weiss asked, pointing to the group's youngest member.

"What about her?"

"Yeah," Ruby turned to her teammate as she placed her hands on her hips, "what about me?"

"She's too young!" Weiss answered.

"Technically, we're _all_ too young," Blake pointed out.

"But she's way younger than us!" Weiss pressed.

"To be fair, she doesn't _look_ old enough to drink," Jaune offered, but backed down when Ruby glowered at him. "Sorry, Rubes."

The redhead pouted. "I am not too young!" She yelled, throwing her arms down at her sides.

"Yes, you are," the heiress challenged.

"Weiss, she's only two years younger," Pyrrha attempted, "it's not all that big of a difference."

"Does that mean you're in, Pyrrha?" Gail asked excitedly.

"I mean…" she began before looking around at how eager most of the others were, the two teammates going back and forth rapidly not included, "I guess?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to. If it's not your thing, it's not your thing," Gail offered.

"Yeah," Jaune nodded, "nobody will judge you."

"It's okay, guys. Really. I've just never done something like this, so I'm just a little nervous," she answered, rubbing her forearm sheepishly.

"It's cool. I don't think really anyone else here has, either," Barrett noted before turning back to the two arguing huntresses.

"No!" Ruby shouted.

"Yes!" Weiss returned, equally as loud, throwing her arms down at her sides.

The berserker sighed exasperatedly and ran a hand over his face. "Yo," he called out finally, stepping in between them, "chill out, ladies." He turned to team RWBY's leader and asked, "Do you want to go?"

"Er," she stammered before looking at her sister, who shrugged, "yes?"

"Then let's go. If they don't let you in, we'll go somewhere else." He heard Weiss huff in response. "Oh, c'mon, if Ruby can hunt grimm with one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed, then she can have a few drinks," he negotiated.

"Do whatever you want," she grumbled.

"So, who else is in?" He asked, looking around at the others.

Nora nodded eagerly, "Yeah! I'm so totally in!"

Barrett looked to Ren. "I go where she goes. I have to keep her out of trouble," he shrugged.

The orange-haired huntress threw her arms around her close friend, "YAY! Renny's in!"

"Blake?" Barrett queried.

"Why not?" She nodded.

"Yang?"

"You bet your ass I'm in!" The blonde exclaimed and gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"Jaune and Yarri?" His answers were a wide smile and a small nod, respectively. "Alright! Gail?"

"What, did you think I was going to say 'no' to birthday booze?" He grinned.

"I didn't think you would, but I thought I'd check anyway. Weiss?" He asked, turning to face her. She crossed her arms defiantly and leaned on one leg. "Aw, don't be like that, it'll be fun," he cooed.

"I don't see how it could be any fun at all," she declared, holding her chin up. "It sounds stupid."

"Don't get all sniffy with us. We're all friends just getting our other friend drunk for his birthday."

"Sounds stupid _and_ illegal to me."

"Have you ever had alcohol before?"

"Yes, and its gross," she snapped.

"Oh yeah? Have you ever had a, um..." he trailed off as he racked his brain for a drink she might like, "piña colada?" She shook her head, earning a mischievous smirk from the berserker. "It's kinda like a fruit smoothie. It's made of ice, pineapple juice and rum, and you can hardly taste the rum."

"Really?" She asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Yep, it's really sweet. You'll love it."

The heiress scrunched up her nose in irritation before finally releasing a sigh of acceptance. "Alright, fine, but we better not get in trouble for this," she declared, prodding his chest.

"So little faith," he smiled and playfully ruffled her hair with his hand. She quickly slapped his hand away, her face flushing a deep red, which only reddened further at his hearty laugh. "Alright, then. Yang, where do you recommend?"

The blonde grinned devilishly. "I know just the place."

...

The massive group approached their destination: an immense night club on the south side of town. Techno music thumped loudly inside, still audible even down the block. The line to enter was massive, stretching down the street and around the corner. A bouncer in a black suit and matching bowler hat scanned the clipboard in his gloved hand, occasionally waving through or denying a waiting customer.

"This is the place?" Gail asked cautiously, scanning at the long line at the entrance.

"Yes, sir-ee," Yang nodded with a wide grin.

"You sure? This seems a bit... high class. They might not accept the fake IDs."

"Trust me," the blonde said with a grin without turning to him, "I got it in good with the owner. He'll cooperate."

Gail glanced at her, cautious of her choice of words and the glint in her eyes, but decided not to press it, instead letting her walk off toward the bouncer. He was about to follow, but stopped when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking back, he was surprised to see it was Blake. "What's up?" He asked, turning to face her fully.

"Do you mind if I invite a few friends from out of town?" She questioned, a thin line of hope slipping into her tone. Gail cocked his head in curiosity. "Well, they kind of invited themselves, so I wanted to make sure you were okay with it before they got here."

"Uh, I guess. I don't see why not," he shrugged. "They better know how to party, though."

"Trust me when I say, 'they do'," she stated, a small smirk gracing her lips.

"Okay, then. The more, the merrier."

Blake nodded in appreciation before they caught up with the rest.

The group approached the bouncer, Yang leading the charge. "Hey, there," she greeted, a slight edge in her voice.

"Back of the line!" The bouncer yelled at them without looking up from the clipboard in his hands.

"We're on the list, actually," Yang stated confidently.

"I'm sure you are. Now, take your ass back to the end of the-" he stopped when he looked up at them and recognized her cocky grin and thick, flowing blonde hair. "Ah, hell," he grumbled.

"Good to see you, too, Finn," the brawler smiled.

"I can probably already guess, but, what do you want?" The bouncer questioned with an exhausted tone.

"I want to go in and have a couple of drinks with my friends," she answered as she gestured to the other teens behind her.

Finn rubbed his temples with his thumb and forefinger before taking a deep breath. "I know I'm gonna regret this, but, the boss says that I'm not supposed to let you in."

"Oh, c'mon, I promise I'm not here to start a fight. Not this time, anyway."

"That's good to know, 'cept there's nothin' I can do, Blondie. Orders are orders," Finn shrugged.

"Do you really want to open this can of worms, again?"

"Personally? I'd give you the keys to the damned place, since you seem to think you own it, anyway. But, its my job to stop people who ain't supposed to be here from going in, and I've been told to keep you out. So, please," he gave a heavy sigh, "be gentle, and avoid the face."

"Why's that? You got a hot date or something?"

"Tomorrow night, actually, and I'd like to think there's a small chance it'll last the whole night, if you know what I mean."

"Chicks dig bruises," she pointed out, but gave in when he gave her a, 'c'mon' look. "Alright, alright, fine. But, in return, you give me all the deets after, 'kay?"

Finn sighed, but relented anyway, "Alright. deal."

...

Junior looked out over the drunken crowd that made up his clientele from underneath his red-tinted shades, smirking contently at the massive success of his night club. His business has been booming over the last month, almost running out of booze nightly. He was even able to completely pay off the damages his bar had received after a certain blonde destroyed the place for information that he did not have. He grumbled slightly at the memory, but quickly put it out of his mind. He knew that she would not be coming back as he had no information that was valuable to her, nor was he involved in anything illegal. Nothing he could be tied to, at least. He sauntered back to his desk and sat in the thick leather chair behind it, picking up a stack of lien and counting it out. He had plenty more to count out tonight and he will be doing so gleefully.

 _CRASH_

Or, at least, he will, when he gets a chance. Despite his calm demeanor, he had a sinking feeling in his gut that he knew who it was.

"You've gotta be shittin' me," he muttered quietly, looking out at the disturbance through his office window, his gaze quickly settling on the woman he feared it was. He ground his teeth in irritation before opening the door to his office and practically sprinting out and down the stairs. He made his way across the dance floor of seemingly oblivious dancers and over to the fearsome blonde, who currently had his bouncer in a one-armed headlock. He grunted in annoyance.

"Damn it, Finn," he snapped, "I give you one job and you can't even do that properly."

"C'mon, Junior, take it easy on 'im. You didn't _really_ think he'd be able to stop me, did ya?" Yang asked, patting the poor man on the head with her free hand.

"Guess not," the bearded man grumbled as he scratched his chin. "So, what the hell could you possibly want from me this time?"

Yang smirked victoriously and released her hold on Finn, letting him crawl away in shame. "Well, we'd like a drink to start," she stated, gesturing to the group behind her.

Junior looked past the blonde and scanned the ten other teens intently before letting out a resigned breath and gesturing for them to follow. He walked behind the bar and whispered something into the bartender's ear. The man nodded and watched Junior stomp away before he placed his hands on the counter top. Everyone waited a few moments before Barrett stepped forward.

"I'll take a Forever Falls white ale," he said.

"Hold up. You got money, right? Junior is gonna to let you drink, but _you_ gotta pay for it," He explained in an accusatory tone.

"Don't you worry about that," Barrett smirked as he dropped a single card onto the bar top, "we got plenty."

He gave them one last look before reaching for a glass and pouring the drink from the tap. "Next," he announced as he slid the berserker his drink choice.

...

"I'm pissed, dude," Barrett grumbled as he and Gail searched for a table big enough fit their entire party.

"What? Why?"

"I paid a lot of lien for those fake IDs and that guy couldn't even be bothered to humor me even a little bit by asking for them."

Gail laughed aloud, slapping his friend on the shoulder, "Well, look at the bright side."

"And that bright side is?" He asked when his friend did not finish his sentence.

"I don't know, but, if you find it, look at it."

"Dick," Barrett grumbled.

The pair found the largest table they could, slid another table up next to it and added a few chairs. They seated themselves and waved a hand at the others to signal where they were.

...

Weiss stepped up to the bar, playing with the hem of her coat nervously. "What do you want?" The bartender asked gruffly.

"I-I'd like a p-piña colada, please," she answered shakily. This was the first time she had ever done something like this and her nerves got the better of her. The man raised an eyebrow at her. She felt her face heat up slightly from her embarrassing stuttering.

"Does it look like we sell those fruity drinks here?"

"U-um," she stammered, "maybe?" The bartender narrowed his eyes at her. "I mean, no?"

The bartender stared her down for a few seconds more before suddenly bursting into a long fit of laughter. The man eventually calmed himself and wiped a tear from his eye, before stating, "I'm just yanking your chain. You looked so serious, I couldn't help it."

"So, wait, you can make it?"

"'Course I can. Wouldn't be much of a bar if I couldn't." The man turned around and began gathering the necessary ingredients. "Go sit down, hun," he called out over his shoulder, "it'll take a sec."

"O-oh, okay," she stiffened before whirling around and following her friends.

Weiss made her way through the crowded dance floor, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. She was used to crowds, but she was usually the attraction, not one of the attracted. She hugged herself as she fended off a seemingly endless stream of drunken "suitors," she hesitated to call them. One man, however, decided that he was the one who was going to be successful where all the others had failed. He was dressed in a polo and slacks with a backwards baseball cap. He began grinding on her, smirking at her in what he thought was a suave way. She shoved him back and continued on her way, but the frat boy followed after her. She weaved in and out of the dancing bodies around her, but he kept pace with her. Finally, she had enough.

Weiss whirled around and yelled, "Back off!"

"What'sa matter, princess? Don't you want a man to keep your bed warm?" The man drunkenly blurted out as he began grinding on her again.

"No, and especially not with you," she declared as she shoved him away again. This time, however, he immediately reached out, gripped her wrist, and pulled her back to him.

"Get off me, you creep!" The heiress shrieked.

"Aw, c'mon, babe, don't be so stuck up," he pressed, trying to pull her closer.

...

Barrett tapped his foot impatiently, only half-listening to the story Nora was regaling the table with. He checked over his shoulder every so often, glancing around before turning back. "You okay?" Gail asked him, nudging him with his elbow to get his attention.

"Hm?" He looked back at his friend. "Oh, yeah. It's just... Weiss is taking a while. I don't think she's ever been in a place like this, so I'm a little worried."

"I'm sure she's fine. She's a big girl, she can take care of herself," Gail offered with a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he nodded.

Barrett sat back and tried to listen to Nora, taking a big swig of his ale to help take the edge off. Still, he could not shake the feeling he had. Finally, his resolve dissolved completely when a waitress approached the table, up one cocktail, but down one heiress. The berserker tapped her arm to get her attention. The waitress leaned down so she could hear him properly over the music.

"Did you see a woman over at the bar? Off-center ponytail, skinny jeans, black jacket with deep blue sleeves?" He questioned.

"You just described half the women in the joint, hun," the waitress answered with a shrug.

"White hair, scar over her eye," Barrett clarified.

"Doesn't sound familiar, hun, sorry," the woman offered with another bob of her shoulders.

"Alright, thanks." He took another big swig before standing up and taking a quick look around him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Gail queried, a worried look etched across his features.

"I'm going to go look for Weiss, see if she's alright," he answered.

"Didn't we just go over this?"

"Well, she ordered a cocktail and it's here before she is. Connect the dots."

The bespectacled hunter looked down at the frozen drink, then back at the towering hunter, "Alright, that's a good point. Want me to come with?"

Barrett flashed his friend a confident smirk. "Nah, it's fine," he stated, "I'm sure two huntsmen can handle a couple of drunks. A third would just be redundant. I'll be back in a sec."

"Alright," Gail nodded hesitantly before waving him off, "see you in a bit."

The black-haired hunter watched his friend disappear into the crowd and grunted slightly before turning back to the group and tuning into the story.

...

Barrett sifted through the sea of people to try and find his missing friend. He purposely squeezed in between two people having a _very_ good time, only offering, "No public displays of affection, please. Think of all the unlucky people not getting any tonight," as explanation before moving on, chuckling to himself over their confusion. He continued patrolling the dance floor, wandering from end to end, searching for the heiress and pushing away the odd party girl or, in some cases, party guy. He was just about to give up when he just barely heard, "Get off me, you creep," over the loud techno music.

 _That sounds like something Weiss would say,_ he thought to himself as a small wave of panic took over him from her words and tone.

He made his way to the source of the exclamation, hoping it was his friend, or someone in need, at the very least. He finally broke through the wall of people and his eyes settled on the heiress's back. He traced her line of sight to the frat boy yanking on her arm. His nostrils flared at his response,"Aw, c'mon, babe, don't be so stuck up!"

He took a deep breath to settle himself and approached them, "Yo, there a problem here?" Now that he was closer, he could better make out the man's features in the dim light, the strobe lights illuminating his face just consistently enough. He was clearly in his late twenties and the hat he was wearing a baseball cap that was to a college in Vale, judging by the emblem just above the adjustment strap. _Oh, great. This guy seems like one of those, 'back in college, I was the star athlete,' types,_ he thought.

"Barrett!" Weiss called out, the glyph she was forming underneath the man's foot dissipating when she realized there was no need for it. "There you are!"

"What's going on? You didn't tell me you had a thing for older guys," the berserker teased.

"Your sarcasm is always appreciated, Barrett," the heiress huffed, "you've got impeccable timing. You are the master of comedy."

"Alright, alright, I get it," he relented, putting his hands up defensively. He turned to the problematic partyer whom still had not released Weiss's arm. "C'mon, Handsy, let go of the lady."

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded angrily.

"I'm her friend and I'm going to be taking with me now, so let go, unless you want trouble," the towering hunter warned.

"I saw her first, she's mine!" He yelled back drunkenly, flailing a beer bottle around.

"Excuse you? I'm _yours_? Who do you think you are?!" Weiss shrieked as she began forming another glyph.

Barrett put a hand on her shoulder in a calming gesture intended for the both of them, as it was all he could do to stop himself from breaking the older man's teeth. "Listen, dickhead," he spat out venomously, "you let go of her _right now_ , or you're going to learn just how bad it feels to have your tongue ripped out your asshole. Maybe then, you'll have some god damned respect for other people's space."

The frat boy's eyes widened slightly at the threat. He stood there for a few moments, sizing up the much taller man and weighing his options, before grunting and releasing the heiress. Barrett turned to his friend.

"You good?" He asked, his expression immediately softening as he placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just go," she said exasperatedly.

"Alright, c'mon," the berserker gestured for her to follow, placing his hand on the small of her back to push her ahead of him, giving him a chance to shoot one final death glare at the frat boy.

Weiss felt the contact and her face heated up instantly. She raised her hands up and placed them on her cheeks to cover them. Barrett looked back at her right as she did so, missing the bright blush. She looked back at him, her cheeks flushing even more when she saw his usual warm smile.

"What?!" She asked, flipping the collar of her jacket up to better conceal her face from him.

Barrett shook his head dismissively, "Nothing."

The pair nonchalantly sat down at the table together. Gail gave the two a look of curiosity.

Barrett shrugged, "Found her."

"Where was she? In between the couch cushions?" Jaune quipped.

"You know, I always leave stuff in the refrigerator," Gail added.

"Nah, she just got a little turned around," Barrett deflected.

Yang snorted, "Do we need to draw you a map, Weiss?" She immediately backed down, however, from the heiress's threatening glare.

"No, thank you, Yang," Weiss bit out sarcastically, "I'm perfectly capable of walking from one end of a nightclub to another."

"Hey, you two, play nice," Barrett ordered gently. "We're here to have fun, not start fights."

"Good call, Barrett. A toast!" Gail announced, raising his glass in the air. "To the best way to spend a birthday!"

"Here, here!" The other ten teens called out in unison, clinking their various shaped cups and bottles together.

...

About an hour, and _several_ drinks, passed when the group was suddenly interrupted with a trumpeting, "Are we ready to get this party started or what?" In an instant, all eyes were on the two newcomers, a blue-haired teen and a blond faunus.

"Hey, guyz!" Ruby greeted cheerily, the booze clearly beginning to catch up with her. "I din know you were comin' down!"

"Yeah, Blake invited us," The faunus explained with a chuckle as he approached, placing a hand on the back of said teen's chair. "Ooh, what are we drinking?"

"Whatever you want," Gail answered before pointing his thumb at his friend, "he's paying."

"What? I am not," Barrett denied with a swig of his ale.

"Wait, I thought you were." The berserker shook his head. "Okay, then, Weiss is paying."

"Guess again," she retorted.

"What?! But you're, like, _stupid_ rich!" He bellowed louder than he meant to.

"So? That doesn't mean I'm _regular_ stupid."

"Well, damn, you guys are stingy as hell," Gail grumbled before turning back to the newcomers. "You can drink whatever you can afford, appparently."

"Got it. I'm Sun Wukong, by the way," the faunus said, extending a hand across the table.

"Really? That's your real name?" The bespectacled hunter asked the blond with a hint of skepticism.

"Uh, yeah? Why?"

"No reason," Gail shrugged, shaking the blond's hand, then his companion's, "Can I assume your name Tripitaka?"

"Uh, no?" The blue-haired boy said, his eyebrows quirked in confusion, "I'm Neptune."

Oh. Well, I'm Gail, this is Barrett," he said, pointing a thumb at the towering student, who grunted at the monkey faunus.

"So, which one of you is the birthday boy?" Neptune asked jovially. He looked over the crowd before his eyes landed one of the two people he just met, raising his hand. "Let me buy you a round, bro!" He grinned.

Barrett raised his hand next. "It's my birthday, too, you know," he lied, completely straight-faced.

"Mine, too!" Jaune called out from across the table.

"Yeah, actually, Neptune, I totally forgot to tell you," Sun began, turning to his friend, "but my birthday is today, too."

"I'll get you all gift cards or something," he responded sarcastically, "because right now, I'm here for the man of the hour!"

"Damn right!" Gail called out, raising his glass in the air before downing the last of its contents.

"He knows how to party!" The monkey faunus whooped. "Let's go grab our drinks," he said to Neptune, who nodded eagerly.

"Yes, let's," he agreed as he followed his friend to the bar.

...

A few minutes later, the two Haven attendees pulled two extra chairs up to the table occupied by the group of giggling teens. Sun sat next to Blake and Neptune settled himself next to Weiss. "Did we miss anything good?" Sun whispered in Blake's ear.

"Gail's telling us about a survival mission he went on in combat school," she answered quietly, stifling a laugh and gesturing to the bespectacled hunter-in-training who was finishing a sip of his drink.

"So," Gail continued, wiping his bottom lip, "we decide to set up camp for the night, 'cause it's getting dark and we're still about four klicks out from the rendevouz point. So, Wily decides that _now_ is the perfect time to try and hit on Opal by doing just about the most cliched thing he could."

"'The yawn'?" Yang questioned with a knowing look.

"'The yawn'," Gail nodded.

"Uh, wuz 'the yawn'?" Ruby wondered.

"You know, 'the yawn'," Sun answered. He set his glass down and raised his arms above his head, pretending to stretch. He yawned loudly and slowly lowered his left arm down toward Blake, draping it around her shoulders. Blake's cheeks endured a light dusting of red from the interaction, which, in turn, became annoyance as she noticed Sun's smug grin. That grin, however, morphed into a pained grimace as the secret faunus drove her elbow into his ribs.

"Continue, Gail," the raven-haired huntress ordered, shooting the monkey-faunus a disapproving scowl.

"Right, right," Gail nodded, "so, he does 'the yawn'. In the meantime, I'm trying to get the fire started, when suddenly I hear what sounds like a puppy yelping. I look over and I see Opal's got Wily in an arm-bar and Wily's shouting out any and all curses that come to mind and hollering, 'imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry!'"

"Oh, no! Was he hurt?" Pyrrha gaped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Nah, only his pride, really. Wily was pretty much used to Opal doing that stuff to him by that point."

"Well," Barrett interjected, "that reminds of this one time when Gail came out of the forest with his pants around his ankles."

"WHAT?!" Nora blurted out. "Ooh, tell us, tell us!"

"Barrett, I thought we agreed to never talk about this again," Gail pleaded.

"No can do, pal," he shrugged. Gail glared at his towering friend before slouching back in his chair. "So," Barett began, "we're on a training mission, doing concealment exercises. Me and him are lying down in mud and grass, waiting for the instructors to pass by. We're lying there for three, maybe four hours, just waiting. Grimm would stalk by occasionally, or other students, but nobody knew we were there. We're doing fantastic, acing the test, no problem. Suddenly, Gail decides that he needs to go use the little boy's bush, _right now_. I tell him to hold it, but no, he just gets up and-"

"Woah, woah, woah," Gail interrupted, "you're skipping entire parts."

"Oh yeah? Fine, go ahead," Barrett offered, leaning back and taking a sip of his drink.

"What he's _not_ telling you, is that, by this point, he had already gotten up _three_ times to go take a piss. I had been waiting for the full four hours, plus the ride into the jungle!"

"Blah, blah, blah," the berserker drawled out, opening and closing his hand like a pretend mouth, "point is, the exercise was going to end in about forty minutes, so the instructors were due at any time. So, he gets up and runs off into the woods. I'm listening to him trudge through the bushes until I can't hear him anymore. It gets really, really quiet for about ten seconds. Then, I hear this horrific roar, followed by Gail shrieking like his nuts just got crushed by a vise. I turn around and I see Gail hopping as fast as he could, pants around his ankles, pulling his underwear back up, getting chased down by the biggest, meanest, gnarliest-looking King Taijitu I've ever seen!"

"Then what happened?!" Ruby demanded, leaning forward on the table, Nora next to her, doing the same.

"Gail trips on a rock and just _eats_ it! Thankfully, the instructors showed up right at the last second to help out, but, needless to say, we didn't pass that test."

"That is hilarious!" Yang blurted out in between fits of laughter. Nora was laughing so hard, she was holding her sides.

"Well, great. Now, everybody can revel in my shame..." Gail grumbled under his breath.

"Hey, don't worry about it, everyone's got a story like that! You know, that actually reminds me of this one mission I was on with Sun," Neptune started as he set his glass down on the table next to the many others that occupied the table.

...

Three hours. It had been three hours since the teams had come to the nightclub and they were all feeling it. Ruby's head was resting on the table as she snored away and Yarri was slumped back in her chair, completely sacked out as well. Jaune and Pyrrha had scrambled off somewhere to do gods know what. Weiss was surrounded by numerous empty curved glasses that used to hold her new favorite drink. Yang sucked down the rest of her strawberry sunrise before releasing a satisfied sigh. She tapped her finger on her chin, squinting her eyes in drunken thought. "We should do shots!" She exclaimed suddenly, slamming a fist down on the table, jolting her sister awake.

"Yaaaaang..." the redhead whined, "dun doo that."

"My bad, Rubes," she apologized, flashing her sister an innocent smile before turning back to the other seven that were still present, literally or metaphorically. "Seriously, we should do shots!"

"That sounds like a very bad idea, Yang," Gail shook his head, "we're already drunk enough. Especially Ren." He jerked a thumb at the ninja who scowled at him in return.

"YOU'RE ALL DRUNK!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, pitching forward. Nora reached out and caught him.

"Shh," she cooed in his ear, giggling from his outburst, "quiet, Renny. We'll get you some water." She looked up to see the group staring at her in disbelief. "What?"

"We usually don't see _you_ telling _Ren_ to be quiet," Blake answered, swiping her bangs out of her eyes.

The orange-haired huntress shrugged, "Someone's gotta be the adult, here."

"That's not something you hear every day," Sun commented as he leaned on his elbow.

"C'mon, guys, don't be so lame! Shots, shots, shots, shots!" Yang chanted eagerly.

"I wanna do some shots!" Neptune called out and joined her in her chanting.

"No," Gail said.

"Shots, shots, shots!" The pair continued to chant.

"Alright, she's convinced me. Let's do some shots," the blond faunus relented, also beginning to chant.

"No," Blake ordered.

"Shots, shots, shots!" The trio practically sang.

"Eh wanna doo shoz, too," Ruby called shakily, her head still resting on the table.

"Stop it, all of you," Weiss commanded.

"Shots, shots, shots!"

Barrett grunted angrily, "Alright, fine, we'll do some damn shots!" He stood up from the table and gestured for Gail to follow him to the bar.

...

Jonald was having a rough night. Not only had he been turned down by every woman he had come across thus far into the night, but the one he had made the most progress with had her boy-toy threaten him. He grunted angrily as he slammed his drink. His five, middle-aged friends looked at him in curiosity.

"Wassup, bro?" One of them asked.

"Ch'yeah, man, what's your problemo?" Another one added.

Jonald shook his head, "Nothin', Chaz. Some dude tried to beat me up when I was getting in a chick's pants."

"Ch'yeah, bro? You kick his ass?"

"Nah, I was gonna, but I decided he wasn't worth it," Jonald lied.

"Bro, you gotta step up. That asshole can't tell you how work it."

Jonald waved a hand dismissively, remembering how big the guy was, "Nah, it'd be a waste of time. I'd take him out in one swing." Before he could continue, however, he was bumped from behind as a couple of people attempted to squeeze into the packed bar. "Hey, asshole," he yelled angrily as he whirled around, "watch what you're do-" He stopped as his narrowed gaze fell on the face of the man he was previously bad-mouthing. His face paled and he swallowed thickly.

The towering, dark-skinned man looked at him with an amused smirk. "Hm? Oh, hey! I remember you! Handsy, right?"

One of Jonald's companions took note of his blank stare and tapped him on the shoulder. "This the dude?" He asked. Jonald nodded weakly.

"You know this guy, Barrett?" His black-haired companion asked.

"Yeah, he was the reason Weiss took so long," the tall man answered plainly.

"That right? What a happy reunion, then," the companion quipped.

"C'mon, Jonald," Chaz pressed, "kick his ass!"

 _Shut_ up _, Chaz,_ Jonald pleaded internally.

Barrett leaned on the bar nonchalantly, "Yes, _Jonald_ , by all means, get with the ass-kickin'. I'd love to break you and your buddies' teeth."

"The hell you just say to us?" Chaz snarled and quickly stalked toward the towering man.

"Wow, I knew you guys were dumb, but I didn't think you were deaf, too."

"You're going to regret that! C'mon, Jonald, let's take this guy out!"

 _SHUT. UP. CHAZ,_ Jonald screamed mentally, still frozen in place.

"Listen, Jonald," Gail began, placing a hand on his shoulder, "this isn't going to go how you think it will. You seem like you're pretty reasonable, albeit, not very bright. So, why don't you take your pals, go get your daddy to buy you another yacht and party there, where you _won't_ get hurt."

Jonald almost accepted the gracious offer, but it was too late, as one of his companions behind him suddenly stepped forward and took a swing at the bespectacled man.

Gail dipped to the side, dodging the drunken punch easily. The man overextended and stumbled forward. The hunter took the opportunity to stick out his leg, tripping the frat boy. He toppled forward into a group of patrons, spilling their drinks all over them. The men looked at their alcohol-soaked clothes, then at the man that caused it before reaching down and gripping the man by the collar, hoisting him up and shoving him into a different pair of men who, in turn, were knocked into another table.

There was a sudden silence in at the bar as everyone stared at each other in a mixture of disbelief and anger. The calm before the storm.

"BAR FIGHT!" Barrett shrieked excitedly. As if on cue, the patrons at the bar immediately devolved into a hurricane of fists, feet, and bar stools.

Gail glanced at his friend, noticing his eager smile. "After you," Gail shrugged.

The latter grinned devilishly, then leapt into the fray, followed quickly by the former.

...

Barrett slammed his fist into a brawler's face before catching an attack from the side easily. Pulling the attacker toward him, he crashed his free hand into the man's gut before bringing his knee up into the his face. Dodging another punch, he gripped the attacker's collar and held him still, picking a bottle up off a table by the neck and smashing it over the man's head. He threw an elbow behind him, nailing another brawler in the jaw, knocking him out instantly, before upper-cutting the man the other had been fighting.

"Gimme that!" Gail ordered as he snatched a bottle out of a man's upraised hand, relieving him of his weapon. The man only caught a glimpse of the young hunter before the bottle was smashed over his head. Turning quickly, Gail lashed out, jabbing a random brawler in the face and followed it up with a right cross that knocked the man out cold. He felt someone grab him from behind and was yanked backward. He stumbled back into the middle of a beating that a group of fighters hand been dishing out to one of Jonald's groupies. One of the brawlers turned around and wrapped his arm around Gail's neck, squeezing tight. The hunter-in-training responded by smashing his head into the man's nose, allowing him to slip out of his grip and duck an errant bar stool at the last second that crashed into the fighter that had grabbed him. Gail looked up to see the man that had tossed him back, another one of the groupies, rushing him. He struck upwards at the perfect moment, his fist colliding with the underside of the man's jaw. The power of the hit picked the man up off the ground and onto a table, his limp body smashing through it.

...

The drunken team RWBY and the equally drunk members of teams NR and SN waited rather impatiently for Gail and Barrett to return with the shots neither of them wanted. Suddenly, there was quite the commotion behind them on the dance floor; the sounds of grunts, yells, and shattering glass overtaking the loud techno music. The eight teens shifted in their chairs to find the source of the ruckus, their eyes settling on a brawl that had spilled from the bar to the middle of the dance floor. They quickly noticed that it seemed the combatants were all ganging up on a pair in the center of the brawl.

"Is that... Gail and Barrett?" Sun asked curiously.

"Why em I not shocked?" Weiss huffed drunkenly.

"Because that's Nora's semblance," Yang responded with a shrug, as if the answer was obvious the whole time.

"Thaz not helpful, Yang."

"Well, excuse me for trying," the blonde retorted. Weiss sighed in annoyance.

Sun looked at Neptune with an eager grin. "What?" The blue-haired teen asked. "Don't look at me, this is your scene."

Sun frowned, "Oh, c'mon, when's the last time you've done something like this?"

"Cracking skulls has always been your thing. Mine is much more," he smirked at the heiress, "nuanced."

"Aw... you're no fun anymore," the faunus pouted before vaulting onto a table and leaping into the brawl.

...

An overly large and burly man smashed a fist into Gail's cheek. The hunter let himself fall, tucking his shoulder in and rolling to his feet. He whirled around just in time to redirect another strike with his forearm and plowed his own fist into the man's beer gut, his enhanced abilities giving him the edge in both strength and speed. The fighter doubled over, but before Gail could finish him, a foot crashed into the side of the man's face, sending him flying into the bystanders. The black-haired hunter looked up at the attacker to discover it was the monkey faunus.

"Alright, Tons o' Fun, you had your fun, but show's over," Sun called out to the incapacitated man he had just jump-kicked in the jaw.

"Took you long enough," Gail gave a breathy jab.

"How was I supposed to know you guys were going to start a bar fight?"

"You didn't hear the signal?"

"What signal?"

Gail blinked at the faunus before admitting, "Alright, fine, there was no signal."

"That's what I thought," Sun smirked. Suddenly, he ducked down, dodging a sucker punch, and countering with a roundhouse kick to the attackers temple. "Go take a breather," he said, gesturing to their table, "I'll take it from here."

Gail threw up a hand in appreciation and began slowly jogging toward the table. He had barely made it off the dance floor when, out of nowhere, he felt something plow into his ribs before being tossed up onto the familiar shoulders of an over-sized man. The man sprinted toward the back, the two of them crashing through the woman's bathroom door. Gail was speared into the far wall, the tiles cracking under the pressure. The man released him and let him gracelessly slide down to the floor, crumbling pathetically into a ball. The few remaining women in the bathroom let out a yelp before making a speedy exit.

"Get up, bitch!" The man spat out in a gravely voice.

"Hold your horses, Big Man," Gail said weakly as he struggled to catch his breath.

After a few moments, the hunter managed to climb to his feet, but had to brace himself against the wall he had just been speared into. The man raised his hands in front of him in a boxer's stance, ready to continue throwing down.

Gail nodded slightly, taking a small step forward. The man gave him a look that was somewhere between confusion and amusement. Gail burst forward suddenly, throwing his fist into the man's gut. The fighter retaliated with a jab. Gail dodged to the side and punched the man in the ribs, then ducked underneath a wild haymaker, countering with a high punch aimed at the man's face. He misjudged his opponent's height, however, and overextended, allowing the beast of a man to easily dodge the attack, whom retaliated by grabbing him by the front of his hoodie and lifting him into the air.

"Woah, wait, can't we talk about thiiiiiiis!" Gail shrieked as he was tossed into one of the, thankfully empty, stalls. He let out an involuntary grunt as he hit the toilet, the bowl exploding in a shower of ceramic shards and knocking the wind out of him.

"That all you got?!" The man bellowed at him.

Gail's dazed eyes wandered around the stall until they settled on himself. He was absolutely soaked. He squinted at his opponent, letting out an annoyed growl at his unbearably smug grin before he sluggishly picked himself up off the floor. He narrowed his eyes at the man standing between the stall and his next drink. He slowly rolled his shoulder, feeling the joints pop. Finally lowering his arm down to his side, Gail glared at the man over his glasses. Gail pulled his glasses off and stowed them in his front pocket before taking a deep breath. Without warning, he rushed forward, dodging his opponent's wild flails and slamming an elbow into his solar plexus. The man doubled over, except this time he was the one who would finish it. He jumped up, crashing his knee into his face. He felt the cartilage in the man's nose shift. The massive man threw a panicked punch that Gail easily batted away with his forearm.

The pissed off hunter stooped low, crashing his fist into the side of his opponent's knee. The burly combatant yelped in pain and dropped onto his hands and knees. He gave one last, pathetic look up at the hunter before he was knocked unconscious by a boot to the head. Gail took a few seconds to make sure the man would not get back up for the third time and, once satisfied by the man's consciousness level, or lack their of, he placed his hands on his knees, hunched over and attempted to catch his breath.

To his left, he heard the lock in the stall next to the one he had been thrown through unlock and the door swung open. He looked up at its occupants, the golden haired knight and the red-haired championess.

"Were you guys in there the whole time?" Gail demanded in between ragged breaths. The pair nodded weakly. "Well, I hope you had fun in there, because I was certainly having none of it out here," he half-joked as he gestured to the unconscious man laying on the floor next to him with his head.

Jaune opened his mouth to say something, but immediately closed it and whirled around, releasing another series of retches, dry heaves, and spit. Pyrrha looked at the fallen knight with empathy etched across her features.

"Oh, so, uh... you guys were having about as much fun as I was, huh?" Gail asked as he was hit with a wave of realization. Pyrrha gave him another weak nod. The hunter let out a tired sigh and mumbled, "Fantastic."

...

Barrett and Sun found themselves back to back as the pair took on seemingly the entire population of the bar. They took turns blocking, countering and grappling, taking down each threat as it approached.

"Where's Gail?" Barrett asked bitterly.

"He was a little winded, so I told him to take a breather," Sun answered. He glanced at the towering hunter behind him just in time to see a man smash a bottle on his forearm. Barrett shot the man a look that seemed to be a cross between annoyed and disappointed, then punched the man in the face, knocking him out. "You got a mean right hook, there, pal!" Sun complimented.

"Shut up and fight," the berserker ordered sternly as he kicked an attacker in the chest, throwing him backwards.

They switched to offense, moving away from each other as they continued plowing through the remaining rabid bar patrons until they were the only ones left standing. Suddenly, Barrett felt something slash him across his back. He growled in pain before glaring at the monkey faunus.

"What happened?" The blond asked in concern as he jogged up next to him.

"What the hell?!" Barrett shrieked, grabbing the faunus by the lapels. "You taking potshots at me while my back is turned?!"

Sun brushed him off, "The hell are you talking about? I didn't do anything!"

"Don't give me that!" The berserker yelled back at him, sticking his finger in his face. "You know exactly what you did!"

"Screw you, man," the delinquent growled as he slapped Barrett's hand away, "this is how you thank me for watching your back?!"

"Oh, yeah, thanks for attacking me while I wasn't looking!"

"I. Didn't. Attack. You," Sun enunciated every word, spitting them out in anger.

"Then who did?!"

"Miltia! Melanie!" Junior called out from his second-floor office window, "Take care of these guys!"

The angered duo followed his line of sight, their eyes landing on a pair of twins dressed in extravagant dresses and knee high platform heels. The two dueling egos glanced at each other, then looked back at the twins.

"Let's just get this over with, Melanie," the girl in the red dress drawled out.

"That's too bad, Miltia, they're both kinda cute," the girl in the white dress responded, though she sounded equally as bored as her sister.

"Are we cute enough for you to let us go?" Sun called out.

"Aw, he's funny, too," Melanie commented before the pair began stalking toward their enemies, "such a shame."

"I'll take that as a no," the faunus half-quipped, his tail drooping slightly.

"Sun," Barrett ground out, catching his attention, " _shut up_ and _fight_."

The four combatants dashed at each other, meeting at the center of the dance floor and immediately began trading blows. Sun took on Miltia, blocking her clawed strikes with his bracers, while Barrett went after Melanie, her lightning-fast kicks keeping him more than occupied as he had to avoid being cut to ribbons by her bladed heels. The berserker caught one of her kicks in his hand and tossed her away. Melanie landed in a cartwheel and flipped back onto her feet before rushing at her opponent again. She lashed out with a series of acrobatic bladed attacks that Barrett just managed to avoid by ducking, dipping and blocking. Hand-to-hand combat was not his forte as he longed for the weight of his twin axes at this particular moment, but his fighting style was close-quarters, so he was not completely overshadowed by Melanie's skill in fisticuffs. _Or would that be kickticuffs?_ He wondered to himself, blocking yet another strike with his arms.

Sun dropped under a clawed slash and lashed out with a low kick, trying to sweep Miltia's legs out from under her. Miltia jumped backward into a hand-spring and righted herself on her feet. The monkey faunus dashed at his opponent, letting out a flurry of attacks. Miltia evaded most of the attacks, except for a strike to the ribs and a punch to the face, which dazed her long enough for Sun to activate his semblance, releasing two clones. Miltia slashed the first one across the face, but was caught in the surprise explosion, launching her across the dance floor. She righted herself and dug her claws into the floor, slowing herself to a quick stop. She saw the second clone chase her down before scanning the faunus that created them. She noticed that he had yet to move, instead choosing to meditate as he released another pair of clones. A small smirk graced her lips. She dashed at the blond, dodging the clones' attempts at grabbing her and leapt at Sun, digging her claws into his shoulder and lashed out with a quick kick the the chin. Sun yelped in pain, but reached up and gripped Miltia's wrist, blocking her attack with his other arm and delivering a powerful elbow to her gut before swinging his fist upward, the top of his knuckles connecting with her nose. She responded with a knee to the ribs and a slash to the chest. Sun let go of her and jumped back, avoiding a slash at his throat.

Barrett felt the blade of Melanie's heel rip through his clothes as he dodged backward. He ducked underneath another kick and grabbed her ankle on her balancing leg, pulling upward. Melanie twirled in the air and landed on her back, hard. She let out a small gasp in shock before rolling back onto her feet and rushing her target again. Barrett blocked a low attack with his shin and lashed with a right cross that the bodyguard evaded. She countered, the attack crashing into his chest, then whirled around, the blade on her heel whistling as it cut through the air and across the berserker's face. Barrett stumbled back, hand on his injury. He looked down at his palm quickly to double check that his aura was not depleted and grunted in annoyance. Melanie charged again, lashing out with a front kick. Barrett side-stepped the attack and drove his elbow into her cheek, causing her to stagger back. He stayed on the offense, throwing punch after punch at her. Melanie managed to evade most of the attacks, taking a few hits to the face and mid-section, and back-flipped away from the berserker. Barrett followed close behind, attempting to keep her off-balance and stop her from using her legs.

Sun caught Miltia's right hand as she slashed at him, responding with a punch, which she blocked with her arm. She wrenched her arm from his grasp and slashed upward across his body. Sun barely managed to avoid the lightning-fast attack, but left himself completely open to her sweep kick. The blond gasped in surprise and landed squarely on his back. Miltia immediately leapt on top of him, attempting to dig her claws into his exposed neck. His hands shot up on instinct and he managed to stop her from ripping out his jugular. He looked over to his friend in search of help, but found the blue-haired teen not even paying attention to his life or death fight, choosing instead to polish off the half-empty drinks that the owners had left once they ran out and/or joined the massive melee.

"Neptune!" He shouted, still fighting the girl off. "Neptune!"

"What's up, pal?" Neptune shouted back, still refusing to turn around and acknowledge his plight.

"Little help over here?"

"Nah, you're killing it over there! I'd just cramp your style!"

"I'm really not too worried about that right now!" Sun pleaded as he felt Miltia's nails graze his skin.

"Don't worry, I've got this area under control! We're all clear!" Neptune declared, collecting a couple more drinks and slamming them as quick as he could.

The faunus grumbled to himself before planting a foot on his assailant's torso and flipping her over his head. Miltia landed in a roll and immediately spun around. Sun had pulled his shirt off completely and launched it at her, blocking her field of vision for all of a few seconds. Those few seconds, however, were vital for the faunus's plan as he created two clones that were able to slip behind her and sandwich her in between the resulting explosions. Miltia rocketed forward toward the monkey faunus, who leapt up, caught her head with his hand and slammed her into the floor as hard as he could, knocking her out.

Barrett yelped as Melanie's blade cut across his gut. The girl immediately dipped past him, slashing him across the back. Barrett whirled around faster than the girl expected and dropped his fist down on top of Melanie in a powerful haymaker. The girl halted his counter with an overhead cross block and redirected the attack diagonally downward. The berserker was knocked off balance, the parry forcing him to take a step forward to stabilize himself. Melanie capitalized on the opportunity instantly, lashing out with a kick to the side of her enemy's knee, knocking him down onto one knee. She followed it up with a kick to the face, which he caught in both hands. He wrapped his arms around her leg and rolled forward, pulling her to the ground. He dragged her toward him, blocking her attempted counter with her other leg and struck her across the face with a powerful right cross. Melanie took it in stride and whirled around on the ground, becoming a tornado of blades, forcing Barrett to put some distance between them. She hopped to her feet and continued her assault. She jumped into the air, spinning around in a hurricane kick, which Barrett ducked. Melanie landed and attempted a side kick; the berserker blocked it with an elbow before striking upward with his other arm. The uppercut landed perfectly, causing her to stagger back. Barrett caught her wrist, twisted her arm behind her back and delivered a powerful elbow strike to the back of her neck. He felt her body go limp in his arms, so he laid her down gently.

The two victors stood in place for a few moments, catching their breath after the long battle, adrenaline still pumping through their veins. They whirled around to the sound of clapping. Their eyes landed on the only remaining members of their immense group that felt good enough to stand and give a sarcastic ovation.

"You know, after seeing that, I can't help but think I got off easy," Gail quipped, his thumbs looped in his belt loops.

"That was a pretty solid display of fighting prowess, gentlemen," Yang complimented them with a thumbs up.

"Thah wuz soooo cool, you guyz," Ruby offered as she leaned against her older sister.

"You handled yourselves pretty well," Blake noted with a nod as she held the heiress up.

"Az well as we kin espet from a couple'a doltz, ennyway," Weiss joined in with her usual snark, her drunken slurring adding a unique flair.

"I wish I recorded that so I can watch it again!" Nora cheered.

"I AM THE DESTROYER!" Ren bellowed at the top of his lungs and threw his hands up over his head as he swayed back and forth.

"Seriously, Ren," Nora sighed, her face resting in her hand, "I'm never letting you have alcohol again."

"Hilarious, all of you," Barrett opined flatly in between ragged breaths, "especially you, Ren. You get an A for effort. Now, can we go grab the lightweights and get the hell out of here?"

Gail thought for a few moments. "That's probably a good idea."

The remaining nine teens made their way over to their friends, stepping over the odd empty bottle or unconscious bar patron. Barrett offered to take Weiss from Blake and draped the heiress over his shoulder. Gail collected Yarri carefully and carried her bridal-style. Sun found Neptune face down behind an overturned table, an empty bottle tucked under his arm as he snored away. Those last few drinks were enough to knock him out, it seemed. The monkey faunus kicked his friend in the ribs repeatedly until he woke up. Pyrrha and Jaune were found in the bathroom as Gail had mentioned and were guided toward the exit by Blake and Barrett. "Did we win all the fights?" Jaune wondered weakly.

"Yeah, we did," Blake answered softly.

"Cool," he mumbled quietly.

The group wandered the mostly deserted streets as they journeyed back to Beacon, stopping only every once in a while to let someone hurl, or to catch Ren when he tried to escape into the night. Nora was seriously considering breaking his legs so he could not run off. They made it back to their dorms about an hour later, attempting to shush Weiss and Ruby as they sang off-key and messed up the words. At one point, they were sure they were singing entirely different songs in unison. They stopped at team RWBY and JNPRs' dorm rooms first. Barrett placed Weiss down on her wobbly legs gently and ushered her in with her friends before doing the same with JNPR.

"Night, guys," Yang offered, "it was fun."

"As fun as it can be when an entire nightclub full of people try to kill you," Gail retorted, Yarri still in his arms.

"That's what keeps it entertaining, right?"

"If that's what you call 'entertaining', then I think this'll be the last time we see each other," Barrett teased.

"That's probably for the best. Night, guys," the blonde waved before shutting the door.

As the three continued down the hall, they could have sworn they heard Ren's muffled declaration, "I AM CATBUG!"

The trio entered their room with and flipped on the light. Barrett let out a loud yawn and kicked off his shoes. "Night, man," he called out, plopping down onto his bed gracelessly.

"You're not even going to change?" Gail asked.

"Nah, I can't be bothered. Not after all that shit," Barrett answered, his eyes closed and his face in the pillow.

"Alright, well, I have to get changed. That fat dude gave me the worst swirlie of my life," he quipped. He waited for a retort of some kind, but he looked over to see that his friend had already passed out and was quietly snoring into his pillow. He chuckled ever so lightly to himself before looking down at his team leader. "Now, what am I going to do with you?"

Gail smiled at the small girl in his arms. She had wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, just underneath his chin. He had a hard time believing that this sweet girl was the same woman that had kicked his ass so thoroughly in the exhibition matches. He felt her warm breath on his skin, her soft, rhythmic breathing, and her heart beating ever so quietly; the hunter almost did not even want to put her down. He propped her up in one arm and pulled back her bed sheets before gently setting her down. He slipped off her shoes, then removed her necklace, setting it on her nightstand. He then slowly covered her back up with her sheets. Finally finished, he walked around her bed over to his own and slipped his damp hoodie off.

"Gail...?" He heard Yarri call out weakly.

"Oh, hey, what's up?" He answered gently.

"Did you... see... desk?" She asked in between deep breaths. With those final words, she was sound asleep once again.

Gail looked over at the desk on the far wall and noticed a slim box resting on top. He let out an intrigued, "Hm," and made his way over. The box was sealed with a festive bow. Smiling at it, he untied it and pulled off the top. A note sat inside on top of several sheets of wrapping paper.

The note read, "Happy birthday, Gail! I know I kinda owed you and all, but this gave me the perfect excuse to go out and get it! Hope you like it!"

The hunter smiled warmly at the note before setting it off to the side. He refocused his attention on the package and pulled the paper out, tossing it over his shoulder. A toothy grin spread across his lips when his eyes fell on his new gift.

It was a thick, brown jacket with black cloth stitched into the interior. The collar, along with the inside of zipper, was lined with thin, white fur. The cuffs tightened through a snap button. Along with the two pockets on the front for his hands, there were three others, one on the right side of the chest running vertically along the zipper, inside on the left, and on the left arm.

Gail never expected anyone to actually give him something, but hey, would he complain? She _did_ owe him, after all.

* * *

 _Comedy returns!_

 _Heyo, boys and girls, I'm back with yet another chapter that took entirely too long to write. I had an idea of what this chapter was going to be, but it took a while to figure out how to get from A to B. It certainly didn't help that almost every time I made significant changes to the chapter, the site would have a motherf*cking brain aneurysm and crash, refresh, or force me to login again before I got a chance to save it. It's happened probably 4 or 5 times, so I gave up on making the same changes over and over, fixed what I thought needed the most work and released it. Otherwise, I don't think this chapter would have ever come out. I swear, I've left the site open while my computer was asleep and it didn't have a problem. My laptop has died on me and its stayed up and running. But god forbid I open a new tab to look something up, then all Hell breaks loose. The last big edit I did, I logged in, wrote for a few hours, then, when I tried to save it, it told me I needed to log back in. I did and it erased_ all _of my changes, yet again. So, I give up. I hate to do this, but, I know myself and how I am with this stuff and I know that if I lose my data one more time, I'll never finish the story. So, you'll have to deal with this. Hopefully, it didn't end up too bad and its possible that I may come back to this chapter and fix it proper this time. Probably not, but who knows?_

 _You're probably wondering why I don't use Word, and the answer is: I did. Chapters 1-5 were on Word, but I was using a free version I got from my parents back in Middle School, so when I got a new laptop a few months ago, I didn't have it anymore. I thought I'd try the free two month trial or whatever it gives you and I did, which is how a lot of this chapter was written. My free subscription ran out and then I found out how expensive the whole thing is. First off, I don't use Excel or Powerpoint or Access or any of the other stuff, so I'll be damned if I'm going to pay that much when I'll only be using a tiny portion of the service. Second, there's no way to buy Word specifically, at least, as far as I know._

 _Now, even with all of the setbacks and whatnot, it still probably wouldn't have taken so long, but I recently got a new job and it has sapped all my time and energy. I barely have the weekends free, anymore. Last week, I worked over 56 hours, so, needless to say, I've been working a lot. It's damn near 6 days a week, 10 hours a day, but once Winter comes in, I should be able to find more time. This is why I never set a release schedule. I knew I'd never be able to adhere to it._

 _Anywho, I should stop bitching and continue working on chapter 7. I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts on this relatively unpolished chapter. so. please let me know!_


	7. Chapter 7

_One month later..._

Just a few miles from the coast, away from the protections of the sprawling Emerald City and its many luxuries, sits the rather sizable town of Munkin. While not altogether noteworthy, the town had managed to accumulate a moderate name for itself by providing many of the towns and villages that dot the Sanus landscape with a respectable amount of dust it mines from the nearby mountain that towers over it. True, it could never rival that of the Schnee Dust Company, but it manages well enough on its own, being as it is easier and, by default, far cheaper to ship and supply dust from a mine on the same continent as the buyer.

However, it is far from the humble, peaceful mining town it portrays itself as. Like most dust providers, they sully their hands with the blood of the faunus, men and women that searched for better opportunities, only to find the truth of life in Remnant in the dark and dingy tunnels of Mount Beech; they are worked to the bone in dangerous conditions for pay any human would scoff at for the simple privilege of flipping patties at a cheap food stand. Luckily for those that benefit from what is effectively slave labor, they have managed to escape most of the ire of the faunus equalists and the White Fang, who spend most of their time focusing their efforts on the most blatant and well-known examples, like the SDC.

The townsfolk have always known, of course, but do little about it. The mining site is only a mile or two down the road, but far enough to be emotionally detached from, the walls that surround the small city aiding their "out of sight, out of mind," mentality. Whenever there is an accident, they might cry foul and moo a bit at their mayor, but it is quickly and easily forgotten. The leaders simply shrug their shoulders and things would go back to normal. It was inevitable, however, that some would take notice and attempt to kick-start true change.

It was on this day, a sickeningly beautiful early Thursday morning, that the normally bustling streets would find themselves pratically empty, save for the city square, which was filled to the brim with determined faunus rights protesters and those that came to view the spectacle. The demonstration took place in front of City Hall, many faunus and humans held signs and shouted their demands at the politicians that cowered within the building, the town's militia standing between the outraged demonstrators and the opulent structure that was built with the lien made off of the exploitation of the faunus miners.

On this day, these brave men and women forced the town into the forefront of the news, to take responsibility for their misdeeds. Unfortunately, it was also on this day did the families of those men and women wish they had not.

...

"... _the peaceful demonstration that took place yesterday was interrupted by a series of explosions that killed at least twelve, and left dozens injured. The pro-human group, the Anti-Terror Coalition, has claimed responsibility for the attack. While these reports have been unconfirmed, it would mark their seventh attack in just a little over two months,_ " Lisa Lavender reported evenly, earning various forms of disgust and outrage from the eleven teens gathered round the sprawling cafeteria table.

"That's horrible," the redheaded starlet commented, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Yeah, and its not too far from the capital, either," her partner noted somberly.

"They're disgusting, all of them," the white-haired heiress added with a scoff.

The third member of MUHZ nodded, "What do they think is gonna happen when they do stuff like this? People are suddenly going to think that they're _not_ terrorists?"

"Ya know, I'd love to crack one of their heads open and see what's inside," The blonde brawler agreed. "Right, Nora?"

"Yeah!" The ginger yelled out, slamming a fist against the table and rattling their trays.

"They could have at least gone after the White Fang. Why involve innocents?" The berserker wondered aloud.

The hidden faunus was the first to answer, "Extremism only feeds extremism. They probably hope to gain followers."

"But how?" Team RWBY's leader asked. "Who would follow them after this?"

"You'd be shocked," Gail answered this time, "if attacks like these drove people _away_ from them, then the White Fang would've been down to two guys and a slingshot ages ago."

His leader sighed lightly, "It's a shame that stuff like this happens at all. Why can't people just get along?"

"Old beliefs that unfortunately still persist," The resident ninja suggested.

The entire school seemed to buzz with talk about the recent events. Most of the time, events like these would do little to spark a reaction from the majority of the student body, but due to the relative proximity of the attack, everyone had something to say, for better or worse.

"Gods only know why the Council hasn't done anything about them," Jaune opined.

"Why bother?" Weiss answered plainly, ignoring his shocked expression. "It's not like the Council will be able to do what the entirety of the Atlesian military hasn't."

"That's not right, though," Ruby countered.

"It's not, but it doesn't mean it isn't true," Blake responded. "The Council only cares about these issues if it happens in the city. It costs too much money to send resources outside of the walls, so they'd rather not do it at all."

"So, basically, it's all just a big mess and nobody wants to deal with it because they can't be bothered? Wonderful," Gail concluded and everybody present nodded.

"But hey, at least it's Friday, right?" Yang quipped with a weak chuckle.

Ruby perked up at the comment, "Yeah, speaking of which, what are you guys doing this weekend?"

Jaune shrugged and looked to his team. "Not much on our front. We were just gonna relax, maybe train a bit. We gotta be ready for the first mission assignments coming up."

"Oh, I'm SO ready for those!" Nora squealed excitedly. "I hope we get to kill a whole bunch o' grimm!"

"Oh yeah! The more the merrier!" Yang agreed, plowing one fist into the other palm. "Right, Nora?"

"Yeah!"

Just then, the bell that signaled the end of the lunch period sounded, causing each student present to groan loudly. With much reluctance and varying levels of vocal protest, they each stood and headed for the door, offering quick goodbyes to one another and going their separate ways. Barrett, Yarri and Gail trudged down the hallway while bantering and bickering relentlessly the whole way. Their team leader never strayed too far from her black-haired companion, smiling to herself.

She had yet to figure out why, but she always felt more at peace around her team. It happened any time they were together like this; it reminded her that they were her friends, her teammates. She was their leader, sure, but they were all equals. Well, their fourth member notwithstanding. Before she knew it, she found herself watching the marksman, his bright green eyes looking down into hers. She sighed wishfully. _Wait, he's looking at me_?

"Hello? Remnant-to-Yarri!" Gail announced, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

She blinked a few times, realizing she had only been paying half-attention to their conversation. "Uh... what?" She asked, smiling in a half-hearted attempt to look innocent.

"Were you paying _any_ attention?"

"Um," she stammered, fidgeting with the hem of the skirt on her school uniform nervously, "sort of?"

"Wha-?" He sputtered indignantly as he came to an abrupt stop. "I thought you'd have my back!" He then exclaimed, touching a hand to his chest, his feelings _clearly_ shattered beyond repair.

"I'm sorry," she tried, "I just didn't hear you!"

The hunter shook his head emphatically, "No, it's clear I can't trust you to be on my side when I need it most."

"Oh, don't be like that," Barrett interjected as he draped an arm around the shorter teen's shoulders, "you're just upset that she knows you're wrong, but she has the heart of a saint. She doesn't have it in her to hurt your feelings."

Gail sighed emphatically before sniffling. "I know, its just..." he stopped as if he were choked up. "She's just so _sweet_!" The hunter sobbed openly into his friend's broad chest.

Barrett wrapped his arms around the teen and scowled down at his leader. "Would you look at what you've done to him?"

"Truly, I'm heartbroken," she answered plainly, "but don't you think you two are overreacting just a tad?" She tapped a finger against her chin. "Or overacting. Either one."

Barrett and Gail looked at each other before speaking simultaneously, "Both." They heard the sound of a camera shutter click. The trio looked over to see a pair of girls giggling and pointing a scroll at them.

"Wah-wah."

"We should probably get to class before they start demanding we make out," the shorter student suggested, becoming increasingly aware of the other male wrapped around him.

"Aw, c'mon, is there anyone better to experiment with?" Barrett joked, receiving a scoff in return as his friend wriggled out of his grip.

Gail straightened his blazer some and cleared his throat, "Yes. Literally anyone would be better."

"How cruel."

The trio arrived at their next class a few minutes later. They were among the last to arrive, approaching in time to watch the last few students slink through the entryway, looks of despair etched on their faces. They could not help but want to mirror them. Barrett opened the door and ushered them in, bowing dramatically and swinging an arm across his body. Gail tipped his non-existent hat in thanks and took a step forward, but stopped when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked back to see his leader holding onto him.

"Could you... give us a second?" She politely asked of their doorman. The berserker blinked once before looking at his friend for an explanation, but he had nothing of value to offer, choosing instead to shrug. "Uh, yeah, sure," he nodded and slipped in letting the door close behind him.

"Something wrong?" Gail wondered as the door clicked shut, his brow knit together in confusion and curiosity.

"No, it's just..." she hesitated, looping a lock of hair behind her ear and shuffling her feet nervously, "what are you doing this weekend?"

Gail looked up and ahead, thinking for a moment, before turning back and shrugging. "I don't have anything planned. Why?"

"Well, I was gonna visit my dad in Vale."

"Really? That's cool." He waited for a few seconds, as if expecting a response, before asking, "Uh, was that all?"

The brunette shook her head and cleared her throat, working up some courage. "No, I was just... letting you know," she said, chuckling nervously as she rubbed her forearm with her other hand.

She could feel his absolute confusion permeating the space between them. "Are we, you know, going somewhere with this? I mean, the classroom is literally right there and this is the one time that we don't have a totally legitimate excuse for being late."

"No, of course, I was just..." her face flushed and she looked down at her feet. _Why are you so bad at this?!_ She berated herself. _Just_ say _it!_ "Um," she stammered, chewing on her bottom lip, "would... would you like to join us?" She did not look up at him, choosing instead to continue staring at the floor to conceal the redness in her cheeks that she knew was there.

The marksman quirked a brow at her, clearly caught off-guard by her suggestion. "What, like, go and meet your dad?"

The brunette's face paled slightly. _Was that a bad idea?_ "Y-yeah?" She nodded uncertainly.

"I'm sure he'd prefer to see you. I don't wanna be a bother."

"No, no," she squeaked out, waving her hands in front of her, "it's fine, I promise!"

"I dunno," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I think I'd feel a little weird about it."

She had to think of something and quickly. "H-he, uh, he..." she stumbled over her words as she thought of what to say to convince him that it was okay. "He really wants to meet you!" She declared finally and she instantly kicked herself mentally. What a terrible lie! He would never believe something so obviously-

"He does?" Gail asked in bewilderment.

 _Wait, really?_ Yarri hesitated for a second before nodding and adding an unconvincing, "Yep!"

"Huh," he muttered, scratching his chin absentmindedly before shrugging nonchalantly. "Yeah, alright then."

"Wait, really?" She echoed her own thoughts.

"Yeah, sure, why not?"

And suddenly, her regret was gone, replaced with a fluttering sensation in her gut and mirthful grin.

...

His team leader was strangely chipper the next morning when he awoke, but Gail simply chocked it up to her excitement over seeing her father, which was a great way to counter his own growing reluctance. He watched her bounce from one end of the room to the other, which made him chuckle to himself. She really could be a ball of energy when she wanted to be, always finding a way to make him feel far more upbeat when he was around her. She was weirdly infectious like that. That was until he had spent the last hour waiting for her to finish getting ready and she still had yet to pick an outfit. She flew back and forth between the bathroom, her dresser, and him, alternating at random. He was sat on the edge of his bed, watching the madness unfold with increasing exasperation.

"I don't think your dad cares about how you look," he pointed out when she asked him how she looked for the umpteenth time.

Yarri stopped to consider his point, seemingly coming to some sort of revelation. "W-well, of course _he_ doesn't," she agreed as she rushed back to her dresser.

Gail sighed, but continued anyway, "Then why are you so worried about your outfit?"

"What? I'm not worried about it!"

"Yarri, that's, like, the fiftieth outfit you've tried on."

"Well, I'm sorry that _you_ don't know good fashion, with your stupid jacket!"

He looked down at it, then back at her. "Wait," he said, a bit of offense taken, " _you_ got me this jacket, remember?"

The girl paused, mid-drawer search. "Oh, right."

"Does it not look good?" He asked quickly, ready to strip it at a moment's notice.

"No, no, no," she shook her head fervently, "i-it looks great on you! I was just saying that you don't know fashion, so you wouldn't understand."

"You _did_ call his jacket stupid," their fourth teammate noted unnecessarily, not looking up from the game on his scroll.

"Thank you," Gail nodded assuredly, then paused in confusion. _Did I really just thank_ Miotal _of all people?_ He thought before shaking his head free of the thought.

"Why are you only willing to be helpful when it's going to start a fight?" Yarri demanded, pouting adorably. The punk shrugged in his defense, which never really meant much to anyone other than himself.

"As much as I hate to agree with him," Barrett started, watching the scene with a perverse pleasure, "and I really, _really_ hate it- he's got a point."

"Yeah! What they said!" Gail echoed, folding his arms across his chest.

"Alright, alright, alright," the brunette gave in as she went back to rummaging through her drawer, "I apologize. Your jacket isn't stupid, Gail."

"Damn right!"

"Now, _please_ , help me pick an outfit!" She continued desperately.

The hunter scoffed. "I picked seven different ones, and you vetoed them all!"

"I know, I know, I know," she tried, "I promi-"

" _Seven_ , Yarri!" He interrupted her, slapping a hand against his sheets.

"I know, I promise: on the next one you choose, we'll go."

"You said that six picks ago!"

"I know, but I swear it this time!"

Gail frowned, "Your word means nothing, now."

"C'mon, _pleeeease_?" She pleaded, turning to him and clasping her hands together. "An Arc never goes back on their word!"

"A," he started, holding up one finger, "that only applies to Jaune and by extenstion, his family, which, I feel the need to remind you that you are not a part of. B: even if you were, you would've _ruined_ the family name by this point. I'm not helping you choose an outfit anymore!"

Yarri huffed and folded her arms over her chest.

The teen sighed exasperatedly and turned back to his friend. "Can't you go instead?" He pleaded. "I'm tired already."

"Nope," he answered lamely, much to the hunter's chagrin.

"Why not?"

"Because," he began as he jumped to his feet, "I'm heading down to the library." All three teens ceased their actions to stare at their towering teammate. He looked around at them, "What?"

"Why, on the Gods' green Remnant, are _you_ going to the library?" Gail demanded pointedly.

"I'm going down to do homework, believe it or not."

"I don't, but continue."

Barrett rolled his eyes. "Weiss is helping me out."

"Ohhh," they all voiced simultaneously as the pieces fell into place.

"I hate you all."

"You two have been getting awfully close to each other recently," the brunette noted as she held up two different outfits and compared them in the mirror.

"All 'homework sessions', I presume?" The black-haired teen teased, nudging his friend with his elbow.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He returned.

"Hey, do your thing, man," Gail said with a shrug. He then turned back to his leader and sighed at her indecision. "How have you not picked _something_ , yet?"

The girl whirled around, clothes still in hand. "You can't tell me that you're not gonna help and then rush me the whole time!"

"I can too!"

"Cannot!"

"Can too!"

"Cannot!"

"Can too!"

"Hey, children," Miotal interjected, "shut up."

"Yeah, _Gail_!" Yarri glared at the teen.

"Oh, for- FINISH GETTING READY, YARRI!" Gail roared back.

The brunette looked between the two choices and frowned. "Fine! I will!" She called back as she stomped away toward the bathroom

"Good!" He returned as the door slammed shut. He gave a heavy sigh and ran his hands down his face, "She's gonna be the death of me, I swear."

"You can add me to the list, too," Miotal called out, eyes still locked on his scroll.

"Oh, of _course_ ," he said exaggeratedly, pantomiming writing a note before stopping abruptly. "Oh wait, would you look at that," he pointed at the nothing in his left hand, "I forgot I don't have paper _or_ a pen! Silly me!"

"Ha ha," Miotal said flatly, "did you actually come up with that one all by yourself? Maybe you should be a terrible improv actor instead of a terrible huntsman."

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe you should just... uh... shut up."

"Scathing," Barrett offered unhelpfully.

"Bite me."

Just then, at long last, the bathroom door swung open to reveal Yarri in what Gail hoped- no- _longed_ , to be her final outfit. "Ready!" She called out.

"Finally!" He breathed out in relief as he whirled around to face her. Whatever else he meant to say never came out as the words became lodged in his throat.

She wore a loose-fitting, long sleeve blue silk button-up underneath a black wool overcoat. She wore a red skirt that reached down to mid thigh and dark brown over-knee leather boots, showing off just a few inches of her toned thighs. She had her blue scarf wrapped around her neck and a light shade of pink lipstick. She had decided to forgo her usual french braid and opted for a low, loose bun. "W-what do you think?" She asked shyly, biting her bottom lip and clasping her hands behind her back.

"Uhhh," Gail let out unconciously, the train in his brain having evidently exploded in the station.

Barrett rolled his eyes at his friend's utter ineptitude when it came to women, but decided to come to his aid and took a step around him. "You look great," he offered as he passed by the dying sea creature he hesitated to call his friend, subtly slapping the teen on the gut with the back of his hand, informing him that he should do something other than what he was currently doing. He pivoted on his heel and came to a stop next to the girl-in-question and nodded meaningfully toward him. "Doesn't she, _Gail_?"

That pointed comment seemed to shake him out of his minor stroke and he nodded dumbly, closing his mouth with an audible _click_. "Yeah, absolutely. It's probably a good idea I didn't choose for you."

Yarri's face flushed, but she hid it by grasping Gail's hand and dragging him toward their front door, offering a cheerful, "C'mon, we don't want to be late!" as an explanation.

Gail let himself be pulled away, but made sure to turn back so he could mouth the words _thank you_ to his friend as he disappeared around the corner.

Barrett gave a dry chuckle and shook his head in amusement. He knew his friend had always been terrible when it came to matters of the heart, so he was more than happy to offer him a bit of help. He reached into his pocket to pull out his scroll and flipped the screen on, only to curse loudly when he noticed the time. Come to think of it, he was not much better.

...

Yarri tried her best to keep her excitement under control, but she found it hard whenever she remembered that she was strolling through the streets of Vale with her not-so-secret crush on the way to visit her dad, whom she had not seen since she had left for Atlas. The smile on her face would not disappear and she was sure Gail had noticed. He had yet to mention it, however. In fact, he had not said much at all once they landed in the city. Wait, that was weird. He was usually much more talkative. Was something wrong? She looked up at him and grinned, attempting to cheer him up, assuming he needed it at all. He glanced down at her and returned it, but it did not last long as it fell and went back to looking ahead. The brunette frowned slightly and let her gaze fall to her feet. _Did I screw up already?_ She wondered bitterly. She had to think of something.

She cleared her throat and looked back to the hunter. "So," she began uncertainly, "do you like the city?" She winced when she noticed they were passing a homeless man passed out on a bench, his back facing them and his pants pulled down, exposing his rear end to them and the rest of the pedestrians on the street. _Perfect. A terrible question with terrible timing! What a winning combination!_ She berated herself.

He shrugged. "It... definitely has it's appeal," he answered, his eyes locked onto the man as they passed by. "You?" He asked after a moment.

"I mean, I grew up here, left, then came back. I feel that some small part of me has to like it, right?"

"Oh yeah, right," he trailed off awkwardly.

Okay, so _that_ was a bust. She could have sworn he would have laughed at that. She fidgeted with her fingers nervously as her mind raced through different possible topics, but none came to her that would require more than a sentence or two to answer. She heard her companion cough and clear his throat, but made no attempt to start a conversation. The brunette frowned. What was wrong with her? If only she was better at this type of stuff, more charming, more confident. If only she were prettier. If only she were more like Yang or Pyrrha, then they would be holding hands and cuddling. Yarri frowned, _If only I were better._

Gail felt like an asshole, but he had no clue what he was supposed to say or do. This was no date, at least, as far as he could tell, so why was he so nervous? Why was he blanking on anything they could talk about? Why did his tongue feel like it was tied and twisted into twelve different knots when he did? He was never like this normally around her, so what was different now? Why did he feel so _shy_? At least Yarri was _trying_ to facilitate a conversation. What was he doing? Upsetting her by giving her one word answers, apparently. Even so, he was having a hard time coming up with topic ideas. Whenever he tried to think of something, his mind would automatically blank and leap to the fact that here he was, with his leader, by themselves. That, in of itself, was not a bad thing. In fact, it was a very good thing. Or, at least, he thought it was. Was it a date? He had yet to figure it out. Yarri seemed to not treat it as such and there was _no_ way she would actually be interested.

 _It's not a date,_ he decided finally, _more's the pity. Even if it was, you'd have screwed it up by now. Now, let's f_ _ocus on the more immediate problem,_ he reminded himself, prompting him to glance at his companion. She had a fairly neutral expression, but he could see the frown on her face. She was usually more lively, but she seemed sluggish now, clearly more upset than she wanted show. Gail grimaced. _What is so hard about this? Just_ talk _to her._ He opened his mouth to say something, but the words died an ugly death when he noticed her sigh quietly. It was nothing more than a simple rise and fall of her shoulders, but it spoke volumes. He took the less-than-ideal opportunity to scan his surroundings, hoping to find something that would inspire some kind of conversation. Nothing, to his irritation, but he did recognize the area, he realized. It was one that he had been in more than a few times.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. "Uh, Yarri?" He began, stopping and turning to her.

"Hm?" She wondered, however she did not quite meet his gaze.

"We have a little bit of time, right? Before we have to meet your dad, I mean."

The brunette reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her scroll. "We have a few minutes. Why?"

Gail licked his dry lips and ignored the rising feeling in his gut. "What do you say we go get something to warm us up?"

...

Barrett let out a growl of frustration and ran a hand over his short hair. Here he was, one of the strongest fighters from Haven Academy, a man who knew how to kill most Grimm in a multitude of different ways, whose strength had yet to be topped by any student he had faced thus far, thwarted by _math_. Turns out his greatest foe was just a bunch of sequences of numbers. Unfortunately, this opponent could not be cut down by an axe. At least, not metaphorically, anyway, despite his temptation to attempt it. Had it not been for the girl sitting next to him, he might have tried long before this.

"Calm down," the white-haired girl urged, "take a breath. Math isn't the easiest subject to learn. It takes time and practice."

He scoffed. "You're telling me. Since when did Math and English become the same thing?" He half-joked, eyeing the mass of numbers, letters and parentheses that haphazardly covered his paper.

"Since humans needed to invent more complex ways of understanding our universe and its properties as we continued to invent more complicated tools to help us survive in the world," she rattled off as though she had been preparing for that question. Knowing Weiss, though, that was probably true.

"Ugh," he grunted before letting his head hit the table in front of him with a dull _thud_ , "show off."

"Outwardly gifted," she corrected him.

Barrett's head shifted so he could look at the heiress, the heat in his eyes more than noticeable. "I know that they might be the same thing to you, but 'helping' and 'rubbing it in' are two different things to most people."

"But you can help a wound by rubbing salt in it, can't you?"

The berserker narrowed his eyes at her as he thought of a retort, but when nothing came to mind he rolled his head back to facing down. "Stupid math," he grumbled into the wood.

Weiss giggled softly into the back of her hand and poked a finger into his paper, "Come on, Barrett, you need to finish this at some point and I have things to do today."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, picking his head up to face her. "You got a hot date or something?"

Weiss frowned at him, "Not quite. I'm helping set up the school dance, actually, along with Yang."

"Oh, yeah, the dance. How's that going?"

"As well as can be expected when you're working with someone like Yang," she answered plainly, leaning on an elbow.

"I don't know, I feel like she would know how to throw a good party."

Weiss chuckled, "That's the problem. This is a school sanctioned, black tie kind of event, not some house party filled with drinking and drugs."

Barrett gave her a knowing look, "There's no way in hell that punch bowl ain't getting spiked. You know that, right?"

She let out a defeated sigh. "I am _acutely_ aware of that, but the more we can make it appear like we're not planning on having that happen, the better. Miss Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin have been watching the development like hawks." She noticed her companion's confused expression. "Well, Miss Goodwitch is, at least."

"Yeah, well, what can you do? Get doilies or something?" He joked, earning an awkward silence, only broken by the way she cleared her throat. He frowned. "You didn't."

"I mean..." she trailed off, looking away guiltily.

"Oh, Gods," he groaned, leaning back in his chair, hands covering his face, "you did."

"No, I haven't! Not yet, anyway. Yang keeps blocking it."

He snorted, "Good."

"Wha-? What's wrong with doilies? They're classy!"

"They're also dumb and nobody likes them."

"I do!"

"And that's why you were paired with Yang."

"Hey!" She exclaimed, slapping him on the shoulder.

"I mean that in the most loving way possible, of course," he offered quickly, putting his hands up defensively.

Weiss's face contorted as she glared at the much taller student, an adorable pout forming. Barrett could not find it in him to actually be scared of her scorn. Instead, he grinned and shrugged, as if to say, "what can you do?" Her scowl eventually faded and was replaced with an eye-roll and a head shake. She looked down at the paper between them and cleared her throat, urging him to continue working. He did so reluctantly as she offered what help she could, and him taking it with varying degrees of cooperation. She glanced up at him as he concentrated on a problem, her ice-blue eyes roving over his features.

He had the strangest mixture of hard features and soft eyes, something she had never seen before in a person. His size and physique, his skill, his power, all of it should have been at least somewhat intimidating to just about anyone. It was, to most people, and to her even, in some tiny part. However, he never TRULY scared her. It was like facing off against a large Grimm, a seemingly apt comparison. There was a certain amount of intimidation and nervousness in knowing you would have to fight it. At the same time, you were never too scared to move. You could always attack and defend, never caught without a move. The way he acted for a vast majority of the time was endearingly obnoxious, at the least, and charmingly hospitable, at the very best. It was interesting to see, to be sure.

He was fascinating to her. She had met all kinds of men for all different reasons. Fans, investors, courters, men who wanted her for the money, men her father wanted for the status. None had managed to disarm her in the way Barrett had. She felt at ease around him. Many would act like her title changed who she was, or never turned the charm off, like they were afraid to have a normal conversation with her without showering her with praise and adoration, but he would speak to her as though she were just another friend. Like she was a human and not one of the faces of an entire corporation.

Something about him had grabbed her attention since the beginning and THAT, in of itself, was not nothing.

...

"She was nice," Yarri offered, eyes locked on the top of her cup. The pair were slowly wandering down the street toward their destination, hugging close to each other and enjoying their warm drinks as much as each others' company.

"Who? Rosalyn?" Gail asked. She hummed in agreement. "Yeah, she's great."

"When did you meet her?"

"About a week after I first got here, actually. I met her when I went on a run and I've made it a point to visit her shop as much as possible."

"How come?"

"Besides the really good coffee? She'll probably take away my insane discounts if I don't."

The brunette hummed quietly as she fiddled with the lid of her cup. "Does she have a boyfriend?" She asked finally, a slight point in her tone.

"A fiance, I think."

"Really? Huh..."

"'Huh' curious or 'huh' jealous?" He teased her, giving her a playful push.

Yarri shook her head quickly and looked up at him. "Neither!" She responded, but the way he raised an eyebrow at her caused her to lose confidence in her answer. "Both?" She attempted again.

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

"...neither?"

Gail eyed her for a moment more before bursting into a hearty laugh, only for the archer to join in a second later. They continued to chat comfortably, all the while soaking in the crisp breeze and the warming sunlight. He was thankful that his idea had worked as well as it did. Yarri seemed to have been more than pleased with the distraction from his attitude and having a third person to bounce off of had helped him work around his nervousness somewhat. Now if only the rest of the date would go this smoothly. _It's_ not _a date,_ he reminded himself for what felt like the hundreth time today. _If only..._

The pair began to approach a massive stone building. It was a stale gray color, a product of the material it was made of, and looked, if not government-run, then very official. As they got closer, it became increasingly apparent to Gail just what kind of building it was and what its purpose was. To his utter horror, Yarri came to a stop in front of the white marble staircase that led up to the front doors.

"Yarri?" The hunter called to her as she took a step forward.

"Yeah?" She responded, turning to face him.

"Why are we in front of the police station?" He asked as he looked up at the gold lettering across the face of the building that spelled out "Vale Police Department".

The brunette tilted her head to the side, looking at him in confusion. "'Cause my dad's here," she answered simply.

He snorted. "Is he a criminal?" Yarri laughed, but said nothing, instead wrapping an arm around his and pulling him up the steps. "Wait, Yarri, I'm serious." The girl hummed cheerily to herself, apparently ignoring his questions. "Yarri, that's not an answer!" He attempted, but to no avail as he was dragged inside.

The inside of the building was exactly what Gail expected: white marble floors that seemed to be polished, yet dirty all at the same time, bright flourescent lights shining overhead that only seemed brighter as the light reflected off of the stark white walls. A row of seats lined each side of the waiting room, which had a few less-than-savory characters loitering in them. His leader dragged him toward the front desk. The officer manning it was fairly young, in his early twenties maybe. His head rested in the palm of his hand, his dark green eyes disinterestedly scanning across the pages of his magazine and paying no mind to the pair approaching. His rust colored hair was cut short into the typical crew cut many of the uniformed police sported.

"Hello, Hal!" Yarri greeted the man cheerily as she and Gail came to a stop before him.

"Huh?" The man grunted, lazily peering up from his magazine. His eyes perked up at the sight of her and he immediately gave her his full attention. "Oh, hey there, Yarri! Haven't seen you in a while. How are ya?"

"I'm great! You?"

"Just fine, thank you. You look beautiful, as always," the man, _Hal_ apparently, complimented her, earning a small blush as the girl pulled her scarf up a little higher to conceal it. "And who's this?" He asked rather pointedly, eyeing the black-haired teen standing next to her.

Yarri smiled widely and turned to the teen-in-question, "This is Gail. He's one of my teammates from Beacon."

"Uh, hi?" Gail offered awkwardly.

The man's eyes roved over him, almost critically, as if he were sizing him up. "Halpert Brunswick," the man greeted him finally as he offered the teen a hand, which he accepted tentatively. "So, what can I do for you, Yarls?" He asked, turning back to the small brunette.

 _'Yarls'?_ Gail wondered, but said nothing.

"Could you tell me where my dad is?"

"He's more than a little busy right now, I'm sure, but I'll let him know you're here to see him. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you, especially of late. Heck, maybe he'll even get to leave for good behavior," Hal chuckled at his own words, but Gail was not entirely convinced it was actually a joke.

"Thank you!" She smiled at the man one last time before taking a seat, her companion following suit.

Gail's eyes roamed around the room as he attempted to act as nonchalant as possible. As his gaze finally wandered back in front, he notice a disheveled man in a black hoodie staring intently at him. He gave a quick glance behind him, somehow expecting there to be something of interest that he missed on the blank white wall. He turned back to see the man had leaned forward on his elbows, his staring only growing more intense. Gail gave the man a quick, half-hearted two-fingered salute, which the man responded to by spitting through the space where a tooth should have been.

"So," he began quickly, turning to his friend, "you never answered my question."

She looked at him, a brow quirked in question. "What question was that?"

"Is your dad a criminal?"

Yarri laughed yet again and lightly slapped him on the shoulder, adding, "Oh, that's funny." It was not exactly inspiring.

The hunter chuckled weakly along with her, but it was rather short-lived and surprisingly pathetic. If she noticed, she did not let on. "I didn't know I was making a joke."

"Well, look at you," a booming voice called across the waiting room before she could respond. The two looked up to see a different man dressed in a white button down and black slacks approach them, a shoulder holster much like Gail's strapped across his back. He was older than Hal by at least fifteen years and his golden-blonde locks were clearly starting to age at the roots in his part. He stroked his cleanly-shaved chin and let a wide grin spread across his lips.

The small girl gasped excitedly and jumped to her feet. "Quil!" She cried as she leapt onto his torso, giving him a tight hug.

"Easy, easy!" He wheezed under her grasp. "Not everyone's like you, Yarls."

"Sorry," she apologized instantly, taking a step back from him.

"S'alright," he smirked. "Wow, you're getting shorter every day I see ya."

"And you're getting older," she countered.

Quil's smile somehow grew wider and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "You need to learn to respect your elders, young lady."

"Only old people say stuff like that!" She declared accusingly, pointing a finger at him.

Quil scratched the back of his head and sighed, "Ah, damn, you're right."

Yarri giggled lightly before turning back to her companion, who was still seated and having adapted a rather mousy expression. "Gail, this is my Uncle Quil."

"Uncle?" He asked skeptically, not seeing an ounce of similarity between them.

"Well, not biologically," the man explained as he stepped forward, reaching out to shake his hand, "I'm more of a 'by extension' type."

"It's good to meet you all the same," Gail offered casually.

"Likewise," he nodded before turning back to the brunette. "I think your dad's ready to see you. I'd take you back there myself, but I was actually just leaving. You know the way though, right?"

Yarri perked up even more, if that was even possible, at the news. She nodded and said her goodbyes, giving the man one last hug before gesturing for the hunter to follow her. He made to stand, but not fast enough for her, apparently, judging by the way she grasped his hand and practically ripped his arm out of its socket as she pulled him toward the double doors beside the front desk that led deeper into the police station. He stumbled a few times as he tried to keep pace, but he eventually matched her stride, power-walking through the doors.

They swung open to reveal row after row of desks, computers and police officers. A single lane led through it all toward a large office, its windows covered by its blinds. _That must be the captain's office,_ he guessed. A few desks had both civilians and an officer sat across from each other, speaking quietly. They could hear scrolls ring incessantly and the entire station seemed to buzz with people wandering back and forth, cutting between desks and weaving around each other. Yarri dragged him down the main lane, their feet thumping softly against the emerald carpet that covered the floor. Gail noticed more than a few officers look up from their work and at the pair. Most of them seemed to recognize the girl, but, much to his surprise, more than a few seemed to give him weird looks. Why were they frowning at him?

They were not even scowls. It almost seemed like they were disappointed. They looked like the type of expression one would make when they read a depressing news article; that vaguely upset grimace that you give when you read about a dog getting run over. Gail's brow furrowed in concern as he was towed toward the back office. No good could come of this.

As they were getting close, they could just manage to hear someone shouting on the other side of the door. About what, neither of them could say, but before they could go any further, the door was violently ripped open to reveal a muscular man with slicked back, bleach-blond hair. He was a faunus, if the horns protruding from his forehead were anything to go by. Stood next to him was a man in a VPD uniform, though it was adorned with quite a few more medals than the rest of them. His chestnut hair seemed to be greying much faster than his apparent age warranted, and the single streak of gray that led down the middle of his beard helped none.

"I assure you, we _will_ find her," the officer assured the faunus. "This is a very delicate matter, though. It will take time, so I need you to have a little more patience, for her sake. As soon as we have _any_ information, no matter how small, you'll be the first to know."

"You've had all this time to find information," he seethed, shaking with barely-controlled rage. "What he hell have you been doing all this time, sitting on your thumbs?!"

"She'll turn up, I promise. For now, remain calm and wait for my call," the officer responded gently, placing a hand on the faunus' shoulder.

"I'd better hear from you soon, or it won't just be _your_ job, but everyone in this entire incompetent department!" With that final comment, the man stormed off, feet loudly thumping against the carpet. He brushed passed the pair, his shoulder colliding with Gail's. Not out of malice or spite, more like he could not be bothered to apologize.

Gail rolled his shoulder and frowned. "What the hell was that about?" He asked once the man had finished slamming through the front doors and disappeared around the corner.

"I don't know," Yarri shrugged. She looked back to the other man, watching him rub his eyes tiredly. She took a few steps forward and cleared her throat. "Hi daddy," she said softly. Gail made a choking noise behind her.

The man looked up at her and his expression seemed to perform a complete one-eighty, though his exhaustion was still evident. He smiled brightly and it became extremely apparent to the huntsman where Yarri had gotten her smile from. "Hello, honey," her father greeted her as he approached before stopping abruptly. His steel-blue eyes slowly roamed over to the boy standing next to his daughter, or, rather between them.

Gail followed his gaze and froze, his eyes widening in terror.

She was still holding his hand.

"And who is this?" He asked pointedly. The teen could practically feel the words cut into his soul.

"Oh, right! Daddy, this is Gail, he's one of my teammates."

"Ah," he nodded, stroking his full beard, "and what's he doing here?"

Gail felt Yarri stiffen at his words and her grip tightened immensely around his hand, causing him to wince in pain. "He really wanted to meet you," she answered finally, her voice strained.

 _You traitor!_ Gail wanted to shreik at her.

"Really now?" He wondered, a skeptical tone forming. Yarri nodded quickly. "Officer White," The man called out to one of the cops standing nearby, eyes still fixed on the joined hands, "we still have an extra cell or two, right?"

"Yes sir," the man nodded, confused.

"Good, good. Could you please prepare one of them?" He asked, his hand slowly lowering to the gun strapped on his waist.

Gail gave a weary sigh. Somehow, this was worse than her father being a career criminal. Far, _far_ worse.

...

"So," Gail spoke uncertainly, dragging out the word for as long as he could while he racked his brain with ice-breakers, "Mister Morez." What was supposed to come after that, he was not sure. He had not planned that far ahead.

"Mister... Gail Holt, was it?" The older man questioned, his pen scratching across the notepad in his hand.

"Yes'm," he nodded.

"And how do you spell that?"

"Uh, G-A-I-" the teen began before being silenced by a pained groan.

"Daaad," his leader whined, "stop it."

"Sorry, Sweet Pea, but it's my job."

"Your job does NOT involve performing a background check on my friends!"

"Your old man has been a police officer longer than you've been alive!" He declared defensively. "You don't know what my duties are and aren't."

"Just _stop_!" She pleaded. "For my sake!"

Her father huffed, but proceeded to put the pad into one of his belt pouches. "Alright, fine, but I will get a fingerprint analysis when we get back to the precinct."

"No, you won't."

"That's what you say," he scoffed petulantly.

Gail looked between the two of them as they continued to bicker back and forth, wanting nothing more than to back up in case they came to blows. But, alas, he could not as he was trapped against the wall and his teammate, the booth providing very little in terms of escape methods. Was it too late to cancel on her? He could slip into the bathroom, crawl out the window and claim he felt ill. It would be a cruel thing to do to the brunette, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make if it meant getting out of... whatever _this_ was.

"If I could interject," he attempted as they showed no signs of ceasing their squabbles any time soon, but immediately began to reflect on every life decision he had ever made up to this point at the sight of her father's glare. He felt a chill rocket down his spine, prompting him to smile innocently and stare down at his food as if his life depended on it, which it probably did. _Fighting the ancient evil that has hunted humanity since the dawn of our existence is somehow_ less _terrifying than this one guy, who isn't even a huntsman. Who would've thunk it?_ He mused bitterly.

"If you try to take a blood sample," _'Scuse me?_ "then I'll tell mom that you were the one who washed her favorite jacket with the colors!" She threatened, or as much of a threat as that could have been.

Which was big enough to make the man blanch, apparently. "That happened four years ago!"

"You and I both know it doesn't matter."

Her father gave a defeated sigh as he ran a hand through his full beard, "You're right. Demons don't care about man-made concepts like time. You win."

"Good," she smiled victoriusly, taking a little bit too much pride in her ability to terrify the most terrifying man on Remnant. She took a bite of her meal before asking, "So, how's work?"

"Ugh," he grunted, "I don't even want to talk about it."

"Why? What's going on?"

"What _isn't_ going on?" He corrected her and rubbed his eyes with a hand. "Between dust robberies, terrorist attacks and the normal everyday shit, it seems like nothing I do can please anyone."

"Lotta work?" Gail interjected carefully, his muscles tensed as he waited for an attack of some kind.

To his surprise, the man only chuckled, though it was weak and slightly insane. "My guys are stretched thin enough already, what with Torchwick running around doing Gods' know what. But now you add in the ATC's sudden increase in... 'activity', and you can probably see why I don't even have enough people or time to properly investigate some busted up nightclub." Gail froze as his breath caught in his throat and glanced at Yarri out the corner of his eye, feeling slightly relieved to see she had done the same. "Let's just say my ulcer isn't getting any better," he continued, seemingly oblivious to them.

Yarri looked like she was about to keel over, so Gail decided he needed to take over. "I wanted to ask you about that, actually. Why're the ATC getting so bold?" He asked, taking a sip from his drink to relieve his dry throat.

"Who knows? Maybe with the spike in other crimes, they think they're able to get away with being more aggressive."

"What's the official line?" He queried.

"That they're a menace to society, that we're not going to rest until they're apprehended and face justice for the crimes they've committed, blah, blah, blah, et cetera, et cetera, so on and so forth," he rattled off wearily, waving a hand in the air dismissively.

"And the personal one?"

The man gave another dry chuckle, "They've probably got the right idea."

Yarri visibly relaxed before she frowned, "Can't you put in a request for more officers or something?"

"I did," the man scoffed, "problem is, the dust robberies are too small time to get any _real_ attention and the ATC are making all of their big moves everywhere _outside_ the walls. The only thing that _could_ change their minds would be if the White Fang did something, but they've gone quiet after the incident at the docks. Nobodies willing to do anything that'll actually solve the problem, but they're more than happy to chew my ass out all day long for not fixing a sinking ship with a drain plug."

"Was that what that guy was doing earlier?"

"What guy?"

"The faunus. He was yelling at you when we walked in."

"Oh, him? No, that's... that's something else," he answered solemnly.

Gail and Yarri glanced at each other, brows furrowed, before looking back at the older man. "What is it?" Yarri asked.

"I can't really talk- wait," he paused and lifted his head up to stare at the pair. Yarri cocked her head to the side questioningly and Gail shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze. "You're attending Beacon, right?"

The brunette was taken aback by his question. "Uh, yeah, daddy, obviously," she answered as if he were making a joke.

"Right, right," her father muttered to himself, hastily procuring the notepad from his belt, "this could be good."

"Wait, w-what's going on?"

"Waitress!" He called out, ignoring his daughter's question as he looked around the diner for the server.

He caught her attention and gestured for her before holding up a hand, telling the pair to wait. Once she was at the table, he demanded her pen, which made little sense to Gail, considering he was using one just a few minutes ago, and practically snatched it out of her hand before shooing the waitress away. A few more moments passed as the older man flipped through a few pages of his pad before finally settling on a blank page. He scratched a few words down, then looked back up to their intensely confused faces.

"Okay," he spoke finally, his voice taking on a more professional edge. "Do you know the name 'Marona Messier'?" He asked expectantly.

Gail leaned back in his chair as his mind reeled back through all the people he had met up until now. The name was vaguely familiar at best. He knew he recognized the name, but why? It was possible he never met the girl and had only learned the name through passing. But if that was the case, why did he feel he could remember the face that was attached to the name? Before he could mull on it any further, however, Yarri hummed and looked to him, her brow furrowed in thought. He cocked his head toward her to show he was listening.

"Wasn't she the girl Barrett had freaked out on?" She asked reservedly, as though she was worried to offend him.

Gail's eyes widened in recognition. "You're right." He looked at the captain sitting across from them. "A redhead, right? A canine faunus?"

"Yes," he nodded, a gleam in his eyes. "Did you know her?"

"Vaguely. But she dropped out about almost two months ago," Yarri noted, looking to Gail for confirmation, who shook his head.

"Professor Ozpin only spoke about it briefly at the induction ceremony," the other teen added, scratching the back of his neck.

The captain breathed a heavy sigh as he finished dotting an 'i'. "Okay, thank you both."

"Why?" Yarri questioned.

The captain shook his head, dismissing her question before suddenly perking up, "Wait, Yarri, you said something about someone named 'Barrett' and how he 'freaked out' on her?"

"Yeah, one of my other teammates. He had an 'incident' with her."

"What's his name?"

"Barrett Unger," she answered before spelling it out for him.

"Thanks, Sweetie," he offered once he finished writing it down. "I'll talk to him once I have a chance."

Gail leaned forward, "Wait, what's this about?"

"I can't say, I'm sorry."

Gail sat back against the seat. He gave a quick sigh and nodded.

The man nodded back and looked to his daughter, "Okay, thank you both for the help. I really hate to do this, Honey, but I got work to do now, so we have to cut this short."

"Oh," she frowned as her shoulders slumped.

"I'm sorry, honey, but duty calls."

"It's okay, I understand. We can do this again some time."

The bearded man smiled, "I'd love to. Hopefully, next time work won't be the only thing on my mind."

"Hopefully," she returned as she stood with her father. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, which he returned, giving her a kiss on the top of the head.

Gail made to follow her, but the police captain placed a hand on his shoulder. "I want to speak to your friend real quick. Mind giving us a sec?" He asked her.

Yarri glanced from one to the other before nodding, "Sure. I'll be outside, Gail."

 _HELP ME!_ He wanted to say, but he nodded instead and watched her walk away. Once she was out of earshot, the older man turned to him. "Listen here, Fail-"

"It's Gail, actually," he corrected him, but went unheeded.

"-you'd best be careful what you do with my daughter. I don't care what she says, I'll have you locked up for littering if I find out you so much as touch a hair on her. You got me, Jail?"

"...It's Gail," he tried again.

"I hope you don't think that being a huntsman makes you special. I'll kick seven shades of shit out of you if you try _anything_ funny with her. I'll be all over your ass before you can even shake her hand."

"I don't doubt that for a second."

"I don't know why you wanted to meet me-"

"That was literally the last thing I wanted to do."

"-but I'll make you regret ever having looked at her if I find out you tried something."

"I can't help but feel like this conversation is a little one-sided."

"You got me?" Gail swallowed thickly, but nodded regardless. "Fantastic. Now, smile and say anything."

"...Anything," he repeated quietly, mustering up a pathetic excuse for a smile.

The man let out a hearty laugh that could not have faker if he tried before throwing an arm around the teen's neck and yanking him into a tight headlock that must have looked like a friendly gesture to anyone other than the young man currently being choked out. "I will literally taze you if you test me," he growled into his ear through the toothy grin on his face.

"U-understood," Gail wheezed out as he attempted to tap out on the man's forearm.

"Good," he nodded grimly as he released the teen.

Gail scrambled for the exit, stumbling and tripping over his own feet in his desperate attempt to escape his teammate's father. He burst through the door before whirling around to see the captain still staring him down through the glass door. _What the hell..._ he thought as a shiver shot through him like a bullet.

"Hey," he heard beside him. He practically jumped out of his skin and hastily threw up a karate stance before he realized it was just his teammate. "You two seemed to be getting along," she said with a grin, apparently oblivious to the threats on his life that were just made.

Gail let out a weak laugh that died before it really even began. "Yeah, totally..."

...

 _Why?_ That was the only word that came across Barrett's mind at this particular moment. However, he did not, or rather, could not voice his concerns. The growling ball of fur and teeth prevented him from doing so. In fact, any move he attempted to make to remove the animal from his throat was swiftly discouraged by the way the corgi's jaws tightened just a little more. His only option was to lay on his back and wait for rescue from any of the four girls that looked down on him as they hovered overhead. The one tiny, little, rather minuscule problem with that plan was the fact that none of them seemed to want to help him, opting instead to swoon over the admittedly adorable animal rather than do anything useful. The only one he thought he would have been able to rely on, Blake, seemed more concerned with staying as far away from the dog as possible. The "why" was a mystery to him, but he felt betrayed nonetheless.

Ruby and Yang stood over him, cooing obnoxious baby noises at the stubby-legged death merchant while Weiss seemed so enamored with it, he seriously began to wonder if she was going to let the animal kill him just so she did not have to yell at it.

"Awww, that's so _cute_! He's playing with you!" Yang sang happily.

 _OH GOD, HELP ME!_ He attempted to scream, but the words only came out as garbled choking noises.

"How adorable can you seriously be?" Weiss demanded affectionately, hands clasped in front of her chest.

 _ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO LET IT TEAR MY THROAT OUT BECAUSE IT'S_ CUTE _?!_ Again, he only managed to cough out a few grunts of agony.

"Hold that pose, Zwei! I'm gonna grab my camera!" Ruby squealed as she darted away, leaving a few rose petals to slowly flutter to the floor. She reappeared a second later with her camera before holding it up to her face and snapping a quick photo.

Barrett's eyes flicked to his last hope, the black-haired huntress that was currently perched on their bookshelf on the other side of the room. He pleaded with her, their eyes meeting and, for a brief moment, he saw a connection. For a brief moment, he had hope.

"If we let him keep Barrett, does that mean he'll move in with MUHZ?"

 _YOU MOTHERFU-!_ His thoughts were halted when he noticed the girls were gradually moving away as the door frame to team RWBY's room slowly passed overhead. _Is this mutt_ seriously _dragging me into their room? Just how strong_ is _this thing?!_

"Zwei, no!" Yang shouted. "Your chew toys stay outside!"

 _Wow, it did_ not _take long to be relegated to 'chew toy'._ Zwei growled around his throat before dragging his new plaything back the opposite direction. _Wait, woah, woah, how is everyone okay with this?_ _! Why am_ I _more offended by them calling me a chew toy over the fact that their dog is literally going to kill me?!_

In one last desperate action, Barrett began flailing his arms and gurgling in distress, too afraid to actually touch the dog for fear of a particular gruesome and gory death. Finally, Ruby seemed to take notice.

"Hey, guys, I think Barrett's trying to tell us something," she pointed out needlessly.

 _NO SHIT I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING! GET THIS PSYCHOTIC MUTT OFF ME!_

"What is he trying to say?" Yang pondered, leaning down and looking deep into his pleading eyes.

 _HOW IS THIS DIFFICULT?!_ He demanded of no one in particular as he frantically pointed to canine attached to his jugular in a most precarious fashion.

"I don't know, but I think it has something to do with Zwei," Weiss offered helpfully.

He gurgled as angrily as he possibly could.

"Barrett!" Ruby shouted at him as if having his throat almost ripped open had affected his hearing, somehow. "If you want Zwei off of you, blink once!"

Barrett glared back at the tiny leader, a dumbfounded expression drawn forth. _Now you're just doing this on purpose_ _._

"He's not blinking," Yang noted, watching passively as the berserker was slowly dragged down the hallway.

Weiss shrugged. "I guess he doesn't mind."

 _Oh, for fu- YES, I WANT THIS KILLER CANINE TO LET GO OF MY THROAT!_ He blinked once.

"Was that one blink or two?" Ruby asked, squinting at the teen.

 _ONE! IT WAS ONE!_ He pleaded.

"I think it was one," Blake answered from behind, having finally come out of the room just as Zwei got to the end of the hall.

"Oh, alright," Yang sighed reluctantly. She raised her fingers to her lips and whistled loudly. They could see Barrett's legs peaking out from around the corner freeze. "Zwei, come here boy!"

A second later, the corgi bounded around the corner and pranced up to them happily, tail wagging in excitement. Team RWBY minus B swooned over the corgi immediately, showering him in love, praise and kisses.

"I'm glad to know now that none of you would help me if my death came in the shape of an adorable, foot-high ball of fur and pure hatred," he said as he approached, one hand rubbing his throat gingerly.

"You weren't gonna die," Ruby scoffed as she rubbed her cheek against the corgi's face.

Barrett raised an eyebrow at her. "You sure about that?"

Ruby blinked at him. "Like... seventy-two percent sure."

"Try that again."

"Okay, seventy percent." Barrett scowled at her. "Alright, fine. Like sixty-two percent."

"I think that's still too high." Zwei barked happily. He glared at the tiny dog. "Don't think I'll forget this," he scolded it, pointing a finger in its face. Zwei responded by snapping at it and almost tearing it off. Barrett reared back in terror, but Ruby held him tight. "What is _wrong_ with that... that _thing_?!" He demanded.

"Sorry," Yang offered with a chuckle, "our dad is a little... overprotective. He's basically been trained to hunt any men that are near us."

"I'm not even here for you two!"

Yang shrugged. "I said he was overprotective, didn't I?"

"I'm leaving now," he stated flatly as he turned on his heel and began marching away.

He had only taken a few steps when he was stopped by a voice calling his name. He turned around to see Weiss literally shoving her teammates into their dorm room and slamming the door shut, leaving to two of them alone in the hall. She looked over at him and cleared her throat while straightening out her skirt. He cocked his head at her.

"So," she began, taking a few steps toward him, "Barrett."

"Weiss."

She stopped two feet away from him and clasped her hands behind her back. "Thank you," she said after a few moments.

"For?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"For walking me back to my room. I know it's out of your way and everything."

"You don't need to thank me," he shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "If anything, I should be thanking you. I'm pretty sure I'd be failing if it weren't for you."

Weiss looked down at the floor, digging her toes into the carpet. "Well, anything for a friend, I guess."

"I guess?" Barrett echoed with a small smile.

"Yes," she answered immediately, her face reddening somewhat in preparation. She inhaled sharply before letting it all out in one breath, steeling her nerves. "So, you know how we were talking about the dance earlier?"

Barrett tilted his head slightly. "I do," he nodded.

"W-well, I was just wondering if you... wanted to go with me?"

The berserker's eyes widened. "Oh, uh," he stumbled over his words as his brain kicked into overdrive, "o-okay."

An eyebrow was raised challengingly. "Just okay?"

"No, of course not," he backtracked quickly, scratching the back of his head, "I'd love to."

"Okay," she nodded, her face burning deeper. Weiss bit her bottom lip and nodded again, almost as confirmation, before looking back at her dorm room. "I, um, I have to get back soon. We need to submit our song list by Monday and I have to make sure Yang doesn't add anything inappropriate."

"Of course, do your thing. Don't let me keep you."

The heiress nodded, unsuccessfully fighting back her ecstatic grin, and began backing up to her door. The pair faced each other the whole way before Weiss pulled the door open. She gave him a small wave, which he returned, before slipping inside. The door closed a second later with a soft _click_.

Barrett let out a happy sigh and took a few steps backward. _That... wow, I don't even know what to say,_ he thought as he walked down the hall. He took a quick look around him to make sure he was alone before pumping both fists and clicking his heels together. He was more excited than he probably had any right to be, but, honestly, who could blame him?

...

Weiss gently shut the door behind her before pressing her back against the wood. She grinned mirthfully and covered her face with her hands, her face a brighter red than she ever thought possible. She peeked through her fingers to see her entire team staring at her expectantly. Even Zwei watched her intently, uncharacteristically still. With a quick clear of her throat, straightening of her back and a lift of her chin, she briskly marched over to her bed, ignoring her teammates incessant eyeing and attempts to pry. She would _not_ break. She was a Schnee. No matter how hard her heart beat in her chest, or how many butterflies fluttered in her stomach, she would _not_ give them the satisfaction.

The heiress sat down on her bed, head still held high. Ruby poked her head down from the top bunk, while Yang and Blake watched her carefully from their beds. She stared back. She would not waver, she would show them. No matter how excited she was, she would win. The young girl then collapsed onto her bed, face crashing into the pillow.

"OHMYGOSHOMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!" Her muffled squealing reached her teams' ears, causing them to join in.

 _Damn it_ , she whined, but, deep down, she knew she did not care.

...

"Well," Gail sighed happily, turning to his teammate as they approached their dorm, "aside from how it began and how it ended, I actually had a lot of fun today."

Yarri nodded, "Me too. I'm glad you came."

"I am, too. Your dad is, uh... interesting to say the least."

"He's goes just a _tad_ overboard when it comes to trying to keep me safe, but I know his heart's in the right place."

"You're telling me." They both laughed together.

The brunette smiled at him, "I'm just glad you like him."

"I don't know if I'd go _that_ far," he responded quickly, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, come on, you guys were getting along fine when I left the diner!"

"Right, heh-heh," he sighed, "don't remind me."

They came to a stop in front of their door, but neither made a move to open it. "Thank you, Gail," Yarri offered meaningfully after a few moments of silence. "I mean it. Even if you didn't like a single person you met today, I just want you to know I appreciate you coming with me. It meant a lot."

The hunter nodded. "Of course. It wasn't all bad."

"Good," she said before taking a step forward and wrapping her arms around his waist.

Gail stiffened at the sudden contact. He wanted to avoid this, if at all possible. Her old man's words rattled in his around in his head. But, what was the harm? It was too late to do anything at this point. Her father was overprotective, sure, but all fathers were like that, right? Her dad just happened to be a cop. Slowly, he lowered his arms around the girl's shoulders, enjoying the soft hum she made from his reciprocation. No harm, no foul. What was the worst that could happen?

* * *

OMAKE:

"Oh my gods," Barrett groaned, slapping himself on the forehead as he watched the meeting through the viewing window on the door. Just about every other student, Professor Port included, had crammed themselves behind the berserker to peer at the two. "This is embarrassing."

"They're both so hopeless," Coco Adel opined from his right, shaking her head.

"One's awkward and the other is oblivious," Fox Alistair added, "a tale as old as time."

"I think it's adorable!" Velvet Scarlatina squealed.

The towering second-year, even over Barrett, nodded, "You have to admit, there's a certain amount of charm to it."

"Hmph," Port grunted, stroking the corgi that was stapled to his upper lip. "Nonsense! They should get on with it already! When I was his age I- _oof_!" He wheezed around Coco's elbow as it drove into his gut.

"Shh!" She hushed him without turning around. "Not everything's about you!"

"...nonsense..." he managed as he collapsed to the floor.

"You're all pitiful," the silver-haired teen called from his seat, his feet kicked up on the desk.

"Quiet you!" Coco hissed as she whipped around to glare dangerously at him, taking the time to slide her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose so she could see him over the frames.

He shrugged instead, pretending the drop of sweat that rolled down his temple did not exist. "I'm just saying. No one cares if they do their whole, 'will they, won't they,' routine; least of all: me."

Coco growled. "Listen here, you little-" she cut herself off to gasp as her gaze whipped back to the window. "They're kissing!"

Miotal all but teleported next to her, peering over her shoulder at the pair, only to frown. "You're a bitch," he grumbled once he realized that they were pratically doing the opposite of that.

"So much for 'no one cares'," the second-year snarked.

"That's sooo cute, Mi-Mi," Barrett teased, his voice taking a remarkably higher pitch. "Looks like you're not as- oh, shit, they're coming back! Get back into position!" He called out, waving his arms wildly. "Code Blue, act natural!" He immediately dove into the stands before picking himself back up and collapsing into his seat, pulling out a textbook and flipping to a random page.

The door to the classroom opened and in stepped the pair. They instantly froze at the deathly silence that hung in the room. He glanced at the professor, noting his statue-esque pose, his form hunched over on a stool, feet offset on the rungs, and shoulders hunched forward. His elbow rested on his knee and his chin laid atop his hand. Slowly and carefully, they walked up the stairs to their desk and looked over at their teammates. He glanced down at the book his friend seemed so engrossed in that he did not even register his presence.

"Hey, uh, Barrett?" He spoke up finally.

"Hm?" The berserker looked up at them and his eyes perked up, as if seeing them for the first time in days. "Hey," he returned, dragging out the 'y', "what's up, man?"

"I don't wanna tell you how to live your life, but, um..." he trailed off, nodding toward his book, "that's upside-down."

Barrett blinked once, then looked down at the item-in-question that sat in front of him. "Huh," he quirked his head to the side and picked it up, inspecting it with the intensity of a detective investigating a murder, "so it is."

* * *

 _Woo-hoo! New chapter! Boo-yah! ...I feel like I should curb my enthusiasm some. Now, if you're wondering why I'm really f*cking late on this chapter, I've prepared a few excuses. *Ahem* I had food poisoning for over two months. No takers? Alright, next one... I was binge watching The Wire. Wow, I don't think that one's even believable on a basic "suspension of disbelief" level. I've never seen it, but from what I hear, that would take years to do. Anyway, moving on... Ah, my personal favorite! I left my job as a farmhand, moved away from my hot girlfriend, was presumed dead only to come back ten or so years later, having taken over the title of the Dread Pirate Roberts. No? You don't think Rodents of Unusual Size exist? Fine. I guess I'll just need to own up to my mistakes like an adult... HA! Not f*cking likely!_

 _All jokes aside, I do apologize for my tardiness. This story is by no means abandoned. If you ever worry about that, just know that I_ will _make an update to say it is. Updates won't just... stop. Just... give me time, damn it! I've gotten a whole zero comments about my frequent tardiness and that simply won't do! I'll reveal a small secret to you all so you understand a little more (as if it weren't obvious already). I haven't exactly planned my chapters out ahead of time, nor did I plan my story. Now, that's not to say I don't have an end goal in mind or that I don't know what I'm doing in broad terms and what story beats I want to hit, but it's certainly convenient that it sounds that way, innit?_

 _I actually did a little bit of refocusing recently._ _Originally, my plan was to make this story a side story, one that'll interweave with RWBY-proper in small ways, but largely be its own thing while still remaining in the same timeline as canon, but I realized not only how hard that was, trying to get everything to fit at least somewhat reasonably, especially because I didn't start from scratch all the way back at the beginning (for reasons I'm pretty sure I already stated in a previous A/N, but if I didn't let me know and I'll come back and fix this), but I also realized how boring that would end up being. Seriously! I'd be repeating the same events over and over, with slight differences (at best), and the main threat of my story would never be as interesting or high-stakes as canon because it wouldn't be world ending. So, as such, I've decided to skew more towards straight up AU. Now, I know you guys are probably wondering where this sits in the timeline. Well, this starts just after the beginning of Vol. 2. So, everything in Vol. 1 you can just assume happens canonically, the only exceptions will be changes I state explicitly, whether it be diagetically or through an A/N. From V2 onward, though, is fair game._ _Now, I won't tell you what's going to be immediately different now, I'll see if I can work it in organically, considering how this is kind of a last minute change. I haven't revealed anything that needs to be drastically changed as its still rather early, but keep an eye out for changes._

 _Now, I want to address something that's plagued my mind since I first started this story: the reason none of team MUHZ (except for Miotal) are named after colors. The reason is actually two-fold. Chiefly among them is just because I legitimately forgot that was a rule. What I mean is that, yes, team RWBY is pretty on the nose with their naming schemes, but JNPR isn't. It's actually really clever how they're named. I really wasn't giving RT enough credit. Yeah, yeah, Jaune Arc, Joan of Arc, that one's pretty obvious, but I don't know enough about the legend of Achilles or about Norse mythology to have made a guess about Nora and Pyrrha (I got the general idea, lightning, hammer, last name Valkyrie, and Pyrrha's name and aesthetic being very reminiscent of Greece, but once again, I thought it was just to look and be cool, which it is). That's why I thought it was more a gimmick than anything else. After I released my first chapter, however, I realized my mistake. Now, I could have gone back and edited it before I dug myself too deep, but I realized that I kinda didn't want to. In so many RWBY stories, when OCs and OC teams are created, every character's name is something overblown like Navy-blue Lavenderhead, or something really dull like Jeff Orange. I didn't want that. I wanted my characters to have decent names that stand out somewhat, but aren't stupidly over-the-top. However, to rectify this, every new character I introduce will follow the naming scheme, unless it isn't appropriate. I mean, as far as I know, James Ironwood doesn't follow the color naming scheme. He and Ozpin and that whole crew got their own thinly-veiled scheme going on, but it isn't necessarily a color thing.  
_

 _So, no losing work troubles this time, thank god, but that really just means I don't have an excuse for taking so long, unless you accepted the excuses listed above. I hope this chapter isn't too rushed, ironically enough. I introduce some things, but I wanna make sure it all got its proper time in the light so it doesn't feel forced. As much fun as I had writing the romance stuff in this chapter, I don't know if I set it up well enough. I went back and reread my whole story (you have no idea how weird that felt) to double check and it feels pretty natural to me. But, like I always say, I am the one writing it, so of course I'm gonna like it. I'd love to hear your feedback on it. It became pretty clear by chapter five that Gail and Yarri were going to be a thing and six pretty much cemented it for me. They'd both fallen for each other pretty hard by then. The one I'm more worried about, actually, is Weiss and Barrett. I want to build their thing up slower, obviously, but they both clearly have an interest in each other. Both of them are usually pretty blunt about the things they want, but they're both also pretty guarded in their emotions, so I'm trying to find that balance. Like I've said in the past, I'm worried I'm making Weiss too open. In reality, despite the fact that she's become one of my favorite characters now, I'm actually not really a fan of V1 &2 Weiss. She's a way too C U Next Tuesday, so I'm trying to make her more likable while also maintaining her snarky attitude. Besides, by this point in the story, they've all known each other for a little over two months now, so they all know each other pretty well. They've had time to interact and develop feelings for each other over that time._

 _One last thing: the omake. It was actually going to be part of the chapter, but the longer it went on, the less it felt like it fit, pacing and necessity-wise. Now, any omakes I add can be taken as, "could've happened, but if you don't like it or think it fits, then it can easily be disregarded," unless I explicitly state that it is non-canon. Nothing that happens in an omake will ever be essential to follow the story. It'll just be a silly side thing that I concocted while I was writing. Don't expect one every chapter, though (he says, knowing full well that it might become a regular thing, considering what he keep saying about A/Ns)._

 _Anywho, I should be done with this. Dance is coming up, but it definitely won't be a big, important thing like it is in a lot of other stories. First missions after that. All in all, it should be a good time._

 _P.S. double points to whoever gets the reference at the very beginning! If you know even the smallest amount about the story Vale and Beacon are alluding to, then you should be able to guess what it is._


	8. Chapter 8

_I forgot to mention it last chapter, but happy belated Holidays/New Year's, y'all!_

* * *

Barrett yelled out in pain as he slammed into the windshield of their vehicle, the safety glass practically shattering upon impact. Why was he doing this? Because it was his job, or something like that. Was this a good idea? Probably not, if the way his left shoulder screamed at him to stop, lie down and let someone else handle the situation was anything to go by. He ignored it, of course, having never been one to heed good advice, even when the odds were so stacked against him. _Must've been something I picked up from you, Dad,_ he mused with a familiar mix of bitterness and nostalgia. With a pained groan, he rolled onto all fours, the glass tinkling and creaking wearily as he did so, and took a second to catch his breath and shake his head clear of any cloudiness.

Before he could move, however, a voice reached his ears, even muffled as it was by the wind and constant gunfire. "Move, Barrett, I can't see!" His head whipped to the driver, but his gaze did not hold long as the car suddenly swerved around another vehicle, almost throwing his off the hood. "Seriously, you're not making this easy!"

He glared at him with as much unspoken venom as he could, seriously debating the merits of homocide, "You wanna switch spots? I'd love to see you handle that thing!"

"Me? _You_ volunteered to do this!" he responded, craning his neck out the window to see passed him.

"And I'm really starting to reconsider!"

"Barrett!" a different voice, that of a girl's, chimed in from the passenger side. "In or out?! You can't stay there!"

He grit his teeth together, but got to his feet all the same. The thrum of the engine shook his legs, the chilled early evening wind whipped all around him, stinging his face and staining his cheeks red. His eyes watered and obscured his vision. He could feel the hood bend and give with every subtle movement he made. None of it inspired any amount of confidence, nor did his lack of weaponry. Why was he doing this again? The motorcycle speeding ahead of them, desperately avoiding being turned into a fine paste, reminded him. _Great plan, me,_ he frowned. Well, he was not getting any younger waiting around here. Letting out a quick breath before crouching slightly, his muscles tensed in preparation. He waited for an opening and leapt forward, leaving the relative safety of the speeding vehicle again.

 _Three hours earlier..._

"So, what do you think about this?" Barrett asked, standing awkwardly outside of the dressing rooms.

Coco Adel scratched her chin and leaned on her back leg as she eyed the simple black suit, white shirt combo. She hummed in thought as she slowly paced a circle around the towering huntsman. "No," she said finally as she came to a stop in front of him, placing her hands on her hips.

"What's wrong _this_ time?" He questioned with an immensely unimpressed expression.

"Hey, y _ou_ asked _me_ to be here," she pointed out needlessly. "I got a lotta things I could be doing with my Saturday, but instead I'm here helping you fashion disasters out. _Pro bono_ , I might add."

"Yeah, Barrett," his best friend reprimanded from inside his room, "Coco's being oh so very kind. Show a little gratitude."

The girl-in-question gave him a smug grin. "Now that's how you kiss ass. I could do without the sarcasm though."

Barrett rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to the "fashion expert". "So, what's wrong with this one?" He queried flatly.

"Well, nothing's 'wrong with it', necessarily. Nothing's really _right_ about it, either, though," she answered nebulously.

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"It means whatever I say it means and I say it means that I don't like it, which means you don't like it."

He looked down at his outfit and shrugged. "This is a classic. Everyone wears it."

"That's exactly the problem. You think Little Miss Schnee is gonna be impressed?"

Barrett's eyes widened in horror. "How'd you hear about that?"

"A little birdie told me," she answered with a wink.

"It was Yang, wasn't it?"

"A rich girl like her has probably been to a hundred black-tie galas, fund-raisers and soirees by the time she could walk," she continued unimpeded, "you think her date showing up in the default suit is gonna give her the best impression?"

"I'm gonna say it was Yang."

Coco sighed and shook her head, "You're not listening to me. Weiss isn't the type of gal to go for the generic store brand when she's buying her groceries, you get me?"

"Not really, no," he responded honestly, "I refuse to follow metaphors."

The girl let her head fall into her hands, muttering a series of threats and curses to herself. Why did she ever think this was a good idea? "Why are you being so difficult?"

"He does that," Gail chimed in unhelpfully.

"If anything, you're being difficult," Barrett countered, crossing his arms.

"Oh, for- shut. Up," Coco bit out through her clenched teeth.

"I don't want to."

 _Ho boy, that's no good,_ Gail thought as he hastened his dressing so he could try and stop the rising tensions before they came to blows. He did doubt that he could actually, physically do it if it came to that, however. "What I think she's saying," the hunter interjected as he exited the dressing room, "is that it's always a good idea to go a little above and beyond, right Coco?" His answer was the sound of grinding teeth. He had to do something. "How does this look?" He asked, holding his arms out to the side to show off the button up-vest combo, but serving more as a means to block the other boy from her sight line.

Coco seemed to snap out of her pre-homicide staring ritual and began studying him intently, making subtle nods as she took mental notes. Gail took the opportunity to glare over his shoulder at the towering huntsman-in-training. Barrett shrugged, as if to say, ' _What did I do?_ '

Gail raised his brow knowingly, ' _You know exactly what you did,_ ' he projected to him mentally. Barrett pointed at himself, confused. "Yes, you!" Gail whisper-shouted at him. He shrugged again. "Remember when you told me to tell you when you're being an asshole? Well, you're being one now!" Barrett then pointed at him, or rather, at the girl in front of him. "She's being helpful, you're not!" An index finger was raised into the air and swirled around. "I don't care if we've spent all day here, we'll spend another ten hours here if she wants to!" A frown. "It'll be painful and educational. Coco knows her shit better than anyone, including us!" The taller teen crossed his arms, frown only growing deeper. "Yeah, and you're gonna like it, whether you do or-!"

"Ahem," the brunette clearing her throat brought his attention back to her. "You two done flirtin'?"

Gail took one last glare at his friend before turning back to her. "He can't keep his hands off me," he declared, then continued before Barrett had a chance to refute anything, "so, yay or nay?"

"Nay," she stated matter-of-factly. " _But..._ that has given me an idea." She looked at the other teen, her critical eyes boring into his soul.

Barrett visibly shrunk under her stare. "Yay?" He offered uncertainly.

...

"Thanks for shopping with me," Yarri offered, looking at the redhead through the full-length mirror as she checked out her dress. She performed a few quick turns and spins for good measure, enjoying the way the skirt flowed before facing her companion. "I don't like doing this stuff alone. It gets boring."

"It's no problem," Pyrrha responded as she scanned the outfit herself. "And I understand. I'm not much of a shopper myself. Besides, it's nice to get away from the team every once in a while."

"You're right about that," she said sheepishly. "I love my team, but when you're the only girl, it can be exhausting trying to keep up."

Pyrrha laughed. "I can relate. Sometimes, it feels like I'm the only girl on my team." They both laughed at that. "I'm glad to see you're all fitting in so well, as well as getting along," she said after a few seconds.

Yarri wanted to smile at the compliment, but her lips fell into a frown instead. "I'd like to say that was true."

"You're still having problems with Miotal?" She asked.

Yarri nodded. "No matter what we do, he refuses to be part of the team. We go out, he stays in. We stay in, he's somewhere else. We play a board game, he plays video games. We play video games, he's sitting on his scroll. We've done everything to try and accommodate him, but he doesn't give us a chance. He actively tries to avoid us."

"He sounds like a nice person," the starlet opined as she picked a dress to try on for herself.

"The worst part is that he tries to pick fights with Barrett and Gail. It'd be one thing if we could just ignore each other, but the moment we have the slightest disagreement, he's there to make it worse."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?" Pyrrha asked as she entered one of the dressing rooms.

"Yep. He just blows us off and puts his headphones on."

"What about Professor Ozpin or Goodwitch? Maybe they could help."

She was afraid she was going to suggest that. Yarri shrugged, but realized after a few seconds that Pyrrha could not see her. "I don't know," she sighed, "I feel like I'd be admitting that I can't do this. I mean, I still don't know why he made me team leader in the first place and I'm worried that if I ask them to deal with my team's problems for me, he'll realize he made a mistake."

"I don't know about that. Ozpin is the headmaster. I'd bet he puts careful consideration into everything he does. There's a reason why they're professors. They teach us lessons we may struggle with or may never learn without their help. It would be naive to think they never had to deal with an... uncooperative teammate before."

"I don't want help if I can do this on my own, though."

"You sound just like Jaune," Pyrrha said with a light chuckle.

The brunette could not help but quirk a brow at that. "Jaune?"

"Mhm," she hummed, "you might have noticed he isn't the strongest fighter at Beacon."

"Well, I mean, I-I guess..." she trailed off, not wishing to offend her.

To her relief, Pyrrha simply chuckled. "It's okay, it's not a secret. That was one of the first things I noticed about him, when we first became partners. He was so stubborn, so willing to throw himself into any situation if it meant doing something good, even if he, admittedly, wasn't very good at it," she said. Yarri could practically hear the reminiscent smile through her voice. "I really didn't think anything of it. Not everyone needs to be a brilliant fighter to succeed as a Huntsman. However, it took it's toll on him. I didn't realize how much it affected him until I saw how much he was beating himself up for losing to Cardin. I offered to help him, but he snapped at me instead."

"Wow, that doesn't sound like Jaune at all," the brunette commented softly.

"I was shocked, too, and more hurt than I'd like to admit. It took him a little bit of time, but in the end, he came around because realized that he couldn't do everything by himself. After everything, he accepted my offer and I was more than willing to give him the help he needed." The door opened again to reveal the champion wearing a long, red dress. "What do you think?"

"That looks beautiful!" She offered with a smile.

"Thank you," the redhead returned the gesture before sitting down on a bench and gesturing for her friend to do the same. "My point is nobody will blame you for needing a little help. It happens to everyone. You shouldn't dismiss the idea outright just because you're worried about how you'll look."

Yarri frowned. "I know, you're right... I just don't want to look useless."

"Why would you look useless? Remember, you're not doing this just for yourself. You have three other people to look after, even if some of them don't want you to. If he's being as difficult as you say he is, then Professor Goodwitch would probably be more than happy that you came to her about it. Professor Ozpin, too."

The brunette thought about it for a few seconds. She was right, what _was_ the harm in it? There was nothing wrong with asking a question. Yarri was sure Goodwitch would, at the very least, enjoy the excuse to crack some skulls. "I'll... give it a shot. Thank you, Pyrrha."

"Of course," she nodded, "I'm happy to help."

...

"So, where is this recruitment rally exactly?" Blake asked for what felt like hundreth time and each time she asked became increasingly tired. In her defense, he had yet to give her a straight answer... come to think about it, he had yet to give her an answer at all.

"Calm down, Blake, I know _exactly_ where we're going," Sun responded flippantly, spinning around to address her, hands behind his head.

"I _am_ calm," she said quickly, rolling her eyes, "but I won't be if you don't stop telling me to calm down."

"This is the first time I've said that."

"Sixth."

"I'll give you two."

"That's all well and good, but I know it's six."

Sun stratched his chin while he thought over their whole time together thus far. "Three!" He declared finally.

"Six," she returned with a light sigh.

"When were the other three?"

Blake sighed, shaking her head slightly. Why did Sun have to be so _difficult_ , sometimes? She was well aware of what he thought about her, but she really paid it no mind. The hint was obviously not being taken. Was she being too subtle? Maybe, but there really was no time or place to turn him down. The worst part, or best, depending on how one looked at it, was that he never crossed any boundaries, so she has never really had a reason to be direct. That did NOT mean that it was never irritating.

Like right now, for example. He seemed to only be keeping the information from her to force her to let him tag along, like she would never accept his help otherwise. It confused her, more than anything else. Sun had already proven to be useful, even if it was mostly for knocking some heads. He was no idiot, but, at the same time, he was no tactical genius, that was for sure. Did she begrudge him for that? Of course not. He was nice, a little high-energy, but then again, that described her partner, and cared for her and his friends. She even enjoyed his company, most of the time. But, there were days that his general disposition wore on her. This was one of those days.

"Look Sun," Blake said finally, cutting him off mid-sentence as she stopped abruptly and turned on her heel to face him fully, "I don't know what you think this is, but this isn't the time or the place to argue over something as stupid as this. Do you know where the rally is or not?"

"Just trust me-"

"It's a 'yes or no' question, Sun."

He hesitated, which was not a good sign. "I know how to find out," he said finally.

Blake scoffed and threw her hands up in bewilderment. "You said you knew. What have we been doing for the past hour and a half?"

"Bonding?" He responded after another moment of hesitation.

The teen ran a hand through her raven-colored hair, her fingers passing between her animal ears instinctively. She gave a heavy sigh and shook her head, eyes flicking down to the pavement. This entire day just took a turn for the worse. "Why would you tell us that you knew if you didn't?"

Sun shrugged passively, "I dunno. I figured that sounded better than 'Hey guys, I know a guy who claimed he knew how to find a guy to find out about a rally.'"

Blake opened her mouth to retort, but stopped herself. _Time and place_ , she reminded herself. "Okay, fine, whatever. You said you know how to find out. What do you mean?"

"We gotta find a deer faunus with orange hair and give 'em a message."

Great. Leave it to the White Fang to be so vague that it passed the meaning of pointlessness. How did she stand that for so long? Still, it was better than nothing, she supposed. "Okay, that's... something, I guess. Where do we find him?"

"A place called, 'O _ld Town_ '. You know it?"

She sighed again. "That's the northern-most section of the city. It's also the most expensive, nothing but the richest and most elite." On top of all of that, it was a very large area to cover. Too large for just the two of them, especially on foot. _Maybe we could ask Yang and Neptune... no, they're at Junior's..._

"That makes a lot of sense, actually," Sun noted, catching Blake's curiosity. "Think about it: the White Fang, organizing rallies right under the noses of the most powerful people in Vale. They love poetic stuff like that."

She nodded. Of _course_ they would do something like that. "So, what's the message?" No answer came. She waited... and waited... and waited. Only silence seemed willing to respond. She rubbed her forehead with her palm and gave another sigh. "Are you kidding me?"

"Well, I figured you would know! You were with them, after all!" He said louder than she would have appreciated.

"A little discretion goes a long way, Sun!" She hissed lowly at him as she looked around to make sure no one heard. "Secret phrases change all the time, hence the word 'secret'. I've been gone for months, which means I'm not exactly up-to-date!"

Sun scratched his cheek sheepishly, "Oh, right... I, uh, didn't think about that."

Blake gave a low, annoyed growl. "Let's just... find this faunus and figure it out from there."

"Roger that!" Sun said enthusiastically, giving her a thumbs up before rushing ahead.

Blake shook her head, but followed regardless. He was going to be the death of her, she swore it.

...

"Is it ready?" Torchwick demanded, slapping the faunus' hands away from the control panel.

"Almost," the woman snarled at him. "This is Atlas tech, not a public terminal. It isn't the easiest to crack."

"Well, that's unfortunate for you," he responded as he tapped a few commands into the console.

The woman growled at him, "Why're you even here? This is a faunus rally. I figured you'd rather be anywhere else."

A hand laid across his chest as a dramatic gasp escaped his lips. "Such vitriol," the thief responded, feigning offense, "you think I don't care?"

"Are you going to tell me otherwise?"

Torchwick looked at the woman and let a grin break out across his face, "We all got a job to do, hun, even me. So, why don't you stick to yours?"

The faunus scoffed at him before pushing him away from the controls, "This _is_ my job, why don't you stick to yours?"

"It's all yours. You only had to ask," he lectured sarcastically, gesturing calmly to the command console.

Torchwick then turned and walked off toward the front where various White Fang soldiers were pacing back and forth, setting up for the rally. He passed by a pair looking down at a clipboard when one of them broke off to follow him. The thief's grip on his cane tightened imperceptibly. He knew the White Fang held no love for him, though it was very much a mutual feeling and he made no attempt to mask it. It would be very foolish indeed for either to trust the other. _Trust,_ he scoffed internally, _such a childish word._

"Torchwick!" The soldier called after him. He wore the same white and red mask that all White Fang wore, but the nose was shaped into a drooped point, simulating a break, and had slanted eyes. He wore a white, hooded cloak with the symbol of a Nevermore printed onto the back. Underneath his black vest was a white long sleeve shirt tucked into a pair of black combat pants and boots. Two red bandoliers crossed his chest in an "x" pattern and had a pair revolvers strapped to either hip.

He stopped briefly to allow the faunus to catch up before continuing on. He recognized him: one of Adam's boys, a right hand man, one to place his faith in. _Faith, there's another one of those words._ "Can I help you, Khan?" He asked, voice filled to the brim with fake politeness.

"Why're you here?" The faunus demanded of him.

"I've already gotten that from one of your subordinates, I don't need it from you, too."

"It's a valid concern," the faunus said, "you're not needed here."

"It's not a case of whether or not I'm 'needed'. I'm _wanted_ , by Taurus."

"What for?" He asked pointedly. Torchwick could pratically hear the jealousy in his voice.

The thief shrugged, "I'm to give a rousing speech to the cadets." He heard Khan let out a disgusted scoff, causing Torchwick to turn his head toward him, brow raised. "Is that a problem?"

"Not really. I can see now why Adam kept me on this post."

"Hmm?" The thief hummed in complete disinterest.

"It'd be best to avoid another incident like the one at the docks. I don't think your reputation could survive another loss to a couple of children."

Torchwick remained unfazed at the jab, but could not refuse the opportunity to make one himself, nor did he want to, admittedly, "Well, it was _your_ men who were all left at the scene battered and bruised. What does that say about them?"

"That we don't run at the slightest hint of trouble," the faunus countered quickly.

"Is that why you guys were so hasty to shut down all of your ops and move locations?" The masked man visibly tensed at his words, which only amused the thief more. "Now, one, i.e. me, might say you ran at the slightest hint of trouble. Isn't that right?"

"Talk like that will get you in trouble one of these days," Khan snarled at him.

"Ooh, hit a nerve, did I?"

"No," he deflected quickly, regaining some composure, "but there aren't a lot of people here tolerate rhetoric like that, so they won't be nearly as forgiving as I am."

"I can handle myself fine, I wouldn't worry."

"I didn't say I was worried," Khan shrugged and came to a stop, "just a reminder, from one wanted man to another."

"Your... well, your non-concern is noted," Torchwick nodded as he kept on walking. "But I'd watch your back instead of mine. Word is, the Boys-in-Blue are making some major plays." He gave a lazy wave behind him and added, "We're all very busy, Khan. I'd suggest running back to your coop before the other chickens come home to roost."

...

"Hmmm," Coco hummed aloud as she studied the pair stood in front of her. She was impressed, to say the least. _They clean up surprisingly well,_ she mused with a satisfied nod, almost entirely due to her own handiwork. Gail was dressed in a grey silk suit, with a black shirt, shoes and tie. Barrett wore a white suit jacket, tie and vest with a black shirt, black pants, and shoes. "I like," she declared finally, earning a sigh of relief from the latter. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. You asked me to help you get prepped, so I did." She placed her hands on her hips and looked at the towering teen over the frame of her sunglasses. "You should be thankful."

"I appreciate you, Coco," Gail offered quickly, raising his hand as if she needed to see who had said that.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Barrett asked him.

"Because she's scary, man!" He answered in a hush tone. They looked back to see the girl-in-question narrow her eyes at him. "I-I mean, er, Coco's so great and nice and not scary at all and-" she took a step torward him, causing him to cower away, "-PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"

The brunette smirked and rolled her eyes, "Chill out. I'd hate for you to ruin those after I spent so much time picking them out." Her scroll began to ring suddenly and she quickly fished out of her pocket. She spoke into it for a few seconds before hanging up. "Alright, I gotta go. Fox walked into a door and hurt himself again. You guys know how to get them tailored, right?"

"Yes, yes, we're not completely inept," Barrett waved her off.

Coco nodded and said her goodbyes before leaving the pair to their own devices. Barrett checked his scroll while Gail looked himself over in the mirror once more. Both sufficiently satisfied, they were ready to leave themselves, there was only a slight problem.

"So," Gail was the first to speak, "do you actually know how to get these tailored?"

"Not a clue."

He looked at his friend, brow furrowed in confusion. "Why'd you tell her that you did, then?"

"Because she's _really_ scary and I wanted her to go away."

"See? I told you."

The pair made their way up to the front, getting the necessary information from one of the workers. They were introduced to an older gentleman dressed in a suit vest of his own, apparently named Giuseppe, who then led them into a back room to be measured. The room was rather small, only containing one station and a bench for those waiting in line. Thankfully, it was just the three of them. Barrett went first, stepping up onto the pedestal, eyes flicking between the four different mirrors that lined the back of the station. Gail stood off to the side, chuckling quietly at the step ladder the tailor was forced to use. After the twenty minute process had concluded, the pair switched places, Barrett leaning against the wall, watching only in the most passive of senses as his mind wandered aimlessly.

"Stick your arms out, please," the older man instructed. Once Gail did so, he ran the measuring tape along his shoulder, from the end of his left arm across to his right.

"So, you excited?" Gail asked suddenly, catching Barrett's attention.

"What's up?" He asked, straightening up.

"I asked if you were excited."

"For what?"

"The dance."

"What about the dance?"

The hunter stared at his friend with a flat expression plastered on his face before turning his head to the tailor. "Is he being purposefully obtuse or is he just that dumb?"

The older man shrugged, far more focused on the task at hand than the two teenagers' petty squabbles.

"That's a good point," he nodded as though the man had given him a provocative answer, "he _does_ like to make things difficult for me. But, on the other hand, he's also really, _really_ dumb, so..." he trailed off as though he were mulling over a complicated moral dilemma.

Again, the man gave him another noncommittal shrug, refusing to even look up from his work.

"Ah, I _do_ so love our talks, Giupes"

"You done?" Barrett asked impatiently, arms crossed over his chest.

"Perhaps."

"You're done," he corrected him. "And to answer the question, yes I am, actually."

Gail gave the towering student a knowing smirk, "Ooh, and you usually hate stuff like this. Could it be that you're excited to see a certain someone?"

"It could be, but you'll never know for sure."

"That's fine, you don't need to tell me," he shrugged, much to the ire of the man currently attempting to measure his neck size, "it's written all over your face."

Barrett scoffed in amusement, "That's definitely the pot calling the kettle black."

Gail's smug grin sank to a nervously neutral expression. He attempted to play it off by shrugging again, forcing the tailor to reset again. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure," the taller huntsman reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll to check the time. "Oh, damn, it's almost six. I forgot we're meeting Yarri at Zeke's in a half-hour."

"Ah, crap, me too. Where is she now?"

"She should be with Pyrrha still, but I'm sure she'll be done soon. I'm gonna go pay for my stuff real quick," Barrett stated as he began to walk away.

"Rodger Dodger," Gail nodded, interrupting the tailor for the third time, "I'll meet you outside."

The room grew quiet once the pair were left alone. Aside from the rustling of cloth and the occasional clearing of throats, the silence remained unbroken. As the tailor began to measure his neck once again, the bespectacled teen coughed, ruining the measurement once more. "Sorry," he apologized quickly. Giuseppe ground his teeth together and set to his work yet again. Gail shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but that measurement is awfully tight." The tailor made no attempt to respond. "Hey, did you hear me?"

Oh, he heard him alright.

...

Blake scanned the plaza, her trained and attuned faunus eyes working overtime to find their target. People bustled to and fro, the late afternoon sun hung lower every second. The stress that they could miss it was starting to wear her down, as were the constant reminders she was giving herself. _The rally will start soon,_ she thought for the umpteenth time that day. They were going to miss their chance. There was more at stake than just a missed rally, too. If they were recruiting members, that meant the White Fang were planning something. What were they planning? It was impossible to tell for sure, but whatever it was, they were going to need those recruits, most likely untrained just to put more players on the field, which meant it was something dangerous. They had spent far too long trying to find the White Fang informant already, but, without him, they were helpless. This was most likely their last chance.

 _Okay, focus,_ Blake told herself, _F_ _irst task: find the coordinator._ She stood off to the side, away from the crowd, so she could gather her thoughts and watch from afar. _He's a ginger and a deer faunus, we know that. He's most likely on the taller side, around six foot to stand out from the crowd some, but not enough to attract attention._ She scanned the crowd and picked fifteen or so possibilities, all people vaguely matching her description. _Now, narrow it down. He'll be in an area that is away from most of the crowd, but no so secluded that they can be attacked openly or arouse suspicion._ She whittled the selection down to eight different choices, choosing the one's sat on benches by themselves or stood on street corners.

 _Okay, making progress,_ Blake breathed out a sigh, releasing some tension in her muscles. She closed her straining eyes and breathed deeply before re-opening them, her amber eyes feeling somewhat refreshed. _He'll most likely have people approach him periodically, looking for information about the rally._ She watched the eight subjects intently, flicking from person-to-person hastily. _There!_ She thought, watching a woman approach one of the subjects on a park bench. She made to approach them, but the man stood and kissed the woman on the cheek before walking off, hand-in-hand. _Alright, not_ quite _what I was looking for._

"Hey!" A voice shouted, causing her focus to shatter as her head whipped around toward the location of the disturbance. "You damned faunus, get back here!" Three men were chasing down her partner, flailing their fists in the air impotently as he sped away. His arm extended suddenly and something left his hand. He was tossing something to her.

"Catch, partner!" He called to her, her eyes more focused on the scene unfolding in front of her eyes than whatever it was he was throwing at her. She managed get a hold of it after it embarrassingly bounced off her head and a little bit of fumbling on her part. All this trouble for a... pear? Why had he-? Sun caught her hand as he sprinted by, practically yanking her off of her feet as she was dragged behind. She found her feet eventually, matching his stride, and continued down the block with him, the humans behind them shouting insults and hurling abuse the entire way. What was happening? Why was it happening? She wanted to voice her concerns, but he ignored every attempt.

They turned a corner and ducked into a nearby alleyway. Hidden behind dumpsters, they waited for the trio to pass before stepping out of cover. Sun watched the men continue down the block before turning back and grinning at her, his own pear presented proudly to her. "Hungry?" He asked, nonchalantly tossing the fruit into the air and catching it before taking a large bite out of it.

 _Another pear? Why did he-?_ Blake shook her head. "Sun, what just happened?" She asked once she worked through her own confusion.

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" He said around the fruit in his mouth.

"Did you steal these?" She demanded in a hushed tone, checking their surroundings just in case.

He swallowed. "Duh. They wouldn't have chased us otherwise."

Should she have been shocked? Probably not, but that knowledge did nothing to quell the anger and frustration from the wasted day bubbling forth. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you?!" She hissed bitterly. Sun's eyes widened some as he took a step back. "We've spent all day out here trying to find the rally and you probably just blew it all stealing that damn fruit! If you didn't spook the informant already with your stupid stunt, then the cops that those guys are probably going to call definitely will!"

"Quiet, quiet!" Sun tried to hush her, hands raised in a failed attempt to get her to calm down. She was having none of it, however.

"You screwed this all up, for what?! I could've bought you that fruit, but no, you just _had_ to steal it! Why? Are you that dumb? Now what are we going to do? Do _you_ have a plan? Did you think any of this through?" Blake finished her rant, but she felt no better. If anything, she felt worse. Sun's eyes were downcast, gaze fixed on the pavement, the end of his prehensile tail curling inward slightly.

A silent sigh escaped his lips. "I... guess you're right," he said in a defeated tone. "I didn't mean to screw this up." He turned away and tossed the half-eaten pear into a trash can before stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry," he added after a minute of silence between them.

Blake let out a heavy sigh. He managed to make her feel guiltier than she already did, the pit in her stomach knotting itself in two. She though about saying something, apologize maybe, but she realized she had no desire to. Not yet, at least. Even if her rant and insults made her feel like a jerk, she stood by them. He was being an idiot. His insistence on thievery always bugged her, but now that it had led to the failure of their mission, she was passed 'overlooking it'. She turned her attention to stare down the street. Suddenly, she felt a pressure on her shoulder as something gripped her from behind. Gambol Shroud was in her hands in a second, the tip pressed against her aggressor's neck. There, she found herself face-to-face with another faunus, horns protruding from their head. They were short, thin, hair stuffed up under a beanie to conceal the bright orange color. _The informant!_ She frowned, despite the relief she felt. Her deductions had been completely off.

"Your strife has not gone unnoticed," the woman said in a hushed tone, a hand slowly pushing the weapon grazing her Adam's apple aside, "if you truly wish to make a difference, be at the industrial district at seven." With that, she was gone, vanished into the alley they had just been hiding in.

Blake could only blink in dumbfounded confusion. Strife? What strife? What was that cryptic message? She looked at Sun who looked as smug as she had ever seen him. _Wait..._

"Woah, it totally worked..." he marveled.

"Was that... _your_ doing?"

"Well, we weren't getting anywhere just by watching," he shrugged. "I thought about what it is that the White Fang stand for and that got me thinking about how to get their attention. I had no idea if it was going to work or not, but it was either that or start a fight with a random human, but I figured that'd be a bad idea."

"You're right, it would've been. That was... good work," Blake said with an impressed smile. _I never would've expected that from Sun._

"Aw shucks," he gushed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Maybe this mission was not doomed to failure, after all.

 _One hour later..._

" _Everyone, we need backup-!_ "

" _HEEEEEELP!_ "

Her helmet was strapped on, her motorcycle purring, and engine revving by the time Neptune had managed to stumble down the steps of Junior's nightclub. She took off like a rocket, not waiting a single second, nor taking the time to make sure the blue-haired teen had properly mounted the cycle. If he was unable to hang on, then he would be useless in the fight... or something like that. She had neither the time nor the patience to properly justify her actions to herself. Not when her partner was in danger.

Bumblebee tore through the streets as the pair made their way toward her teammate's location. She weaved in and out of cars and cut in-between, ignoring the angered honks that reached her ears for but a second before fading into the background. Stop lights and speed limits were merely suggestions at this point while the street lights blurred passed in her mad dash to save her friend. _What did you get yourself into, Blake?_ Hopefully, nothing they would have no trouble handling. The last thing they needed was another docks incident.

"Yang!" She heard over her shoulder. Who in the Gods' various names was that? She looked back to see it was her blue-haired companion. _Oh, right. He exists,_ she thought before turning back to look at the road. "YANG!" Neptune tried again.

"What?!" She yelled back over the sounds of the engine, wind, and car horns.

"What's _happening_?!"

Had she not told him? Maybe not, she was so focused on the where, she forgot the who. "Blake and Sun are in trouble. We're going to meet up with them and give them support!"

"Oh, roger that!" He nodded then reached back and pulled the rifle off his back.

The motorcycle's tires screeched in protest as they rounded a corner. They could barely make out Blake and Sun's figures leaping from rooftop to rooftop, desperately avoiding whatever was on the other side of those buildings. They were closing in. Yang rounded another corner, ending up driving alongside the fleeing duo's left while whatever was hunting them down remained on the other side to the right. Though, she could catch a few glimpses of it through the gaps in between the buildings, she was unable to make it out fully. Whatever it was, it was _big_. Finally, Yang wrenched the throttle down and pulled ahead, before looking back at Neptune.

"If I get to the other side and get you a clear shot, are you able to take down whatever is chasing them?!"

"That depends on how big and how angry!" He shouted back as he wriggled his way to sit reverse on the seat. "I'll do what I can, though!"

"That'll have to do," she muttered to herself before taking a sharp right then an immediate left, the tires squealing all the while.

"Fire at will!" She shouted at Neptune. No firing came, however. "I said, 'fire at will'!" No response. "Neptune!" She yelled one last time, finally getting his attention in the form of a distracted, "What?"

"Use the gun to shoot the bad guy!"

"That's, uh... going to be an issue," he said just loud enough for her to hear.

Yang quirked her head to the side before turning around to look at the thing chasing her teammates down. She paled slightly. "Oh, that is _bullshit_!"

* * *

 _Hoo boy, I went through enough pictures of good looking models in nice suits to fuel my insecurities for a long time to come. Does anyone know what channel the Spanish soap operas are on? I wonder if we have any tubs of ice cream..._

 _This chapter was... well, let's just say that it's a damn shame we all can't have 100% artistic pride in the things we create._

 _So, a shorter chapter this time, about half the length of the previous two. This was yet another case of, "thought it was longer, but turns out not so much."_ _I've been trying to avoid writing so much dialogue, but I kinda can't. I like my talking, probably a bit too much. I feel it's a good way to open and close scenes, though I know my scenes feel so weirdly short. Maybe it's just because I'm reading them and I know what's happening so I'm just skimming most of it, but writing these out feels way longer than it seems._

 _Anyway, I hope the Sun and Blake scenes were good. I actually liked writing them a fair bit, but I hope her blowing up on him was handled alright. Like I've said, I'm not very good at writing Blake. I'm really not a fan of her character, just in general. She spends too much time crying about everything and moping that it makes it hard for me to connect with her. I don't have a problem with angst, obviously, but you gotta balance it out with_ something _other than always being edgy. I lose sympathy after a while, you know? It's like that person that always has some kind of issue to complain about, whether it be school, work, family, love, etc. and after a while you just go, "God, what_ don't _you bitch about?" The White Fang being mean isn't_ your _fault, Blake! Seriously, at what point do you take a step back and realize that? Yes, stopping them is important, but why are they your responsibility to dismantle alone? You confuzzle me, woman! I don't hate her, but I do find her the least appealing of the cast._

 _I also want to apologize for the lack of fighting big f*ck off robots and the focus on clothes shopping instead, but when I was writing, it didn't seem to fit the pacing. I kinda felt like the fight would drag the chapter on too long. Personally, I'd rather a chapter end where it should than continue to drag on just to squeeze a fight in. That's the reason why I wrote that opening. I thought I'd give a li'l appetizer before the entree. You don't wanna bite off more than you can chew! Other food pun! The next chapter will resolve this, I swear. Which means chapter 10'll probably be the dance. Oh joy..._

 _RWBY and JNPR will start becoming more prevalent as things start to ramp up. I didn't mean for them to get so sidelined for as long as they have been. Honestly, I could say the same for the plot. I've just been trying to set up MUHZ and flesh out everyone's relationships with each other, but I ended up taking a bit too long to get around to it. I apologize immensely for that! As consolation, I tried to have a few humor-based romps. I was really just having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to introduce the plot without it coming off as forced or contrived. You know how it is. When life gives you lemons, you put them in a sack and beat someone with it because that way, it doesn't leave bruises._

 _I'm pretty sure that's the saying..._


	9. Chapter 9

Blake cursed wildly as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop alongside the monkey-faunus, Sun. Below them was almost certain death in the form of Torchwick's massive metal hands. The crisp evening air bled through her jacket, but she could not feel the cold against her skin. She was maxed out at her top speed, but she kept moving, despite feeling, in the most basic sense, the burning in her lungs. However, the adrenaline pumped through her veins, dulling the pain and sharpening her already attuned senses. Thanks to said adrenaline, she could just make out the sound of the machines' cannons whirring to life.

The area she had been just a moment ago was vaporized in seconds, the rounds being pumped into the building kicked up dust and fragments of concrete and ceramic. Blake landed on the roof ahead of them, following the blond closely. Torchwick tracked their movements easily, letting the machine guns fire away the whole time. The bullets shredded everything in sight, buildings and windows alike. This was _not_ good. Someone was going to get hurt sooner or later, if they had not been already. They had to do something and _fast_.

"Sun, we have to take this fight elsewhere!" She yelled to him, just barely audible over the cracking of gunfire.

"I know, but we don't have all that many options!" He responded, ducking under a hail of bullets.

Blake growled angrily. If they stayed on their current path, they would be on the highway soon enough, but there were bound to be loads of people. Unfortunately, the residential and business sectors were even worse areas to be in, and the industrial sector was filled with White Fang members and sympathizers. _The highway it is,_ she grumbled. Looking ahead, she spotted a semi-truck, just turning onto their street, clearly headed in the same direction. "There!" She shouted, pointing at it. "We'll hitch a ride on that!"

Sun gave her a weary look, but, as she took the lead, relented and followed closely.

Yang watched the faunus as they leapt from the rooftop at the end of the block down onto the top of a semi-truck, landing in a roll to break their fall. The blonde cocked her head at them. _What are you doing, Blake? He's heading for the highway!_ She thought before abruptly accelerating, practically throwing Neptune off the back of Bumblebee. She frantically waved her left arm at them to get their attention and tell them to jump off, but they were not taking the hint. "On the left!" The blue-haired teen shouted the warning and she jerked to the right, barely avoiding a stream of bullets that would have surely torn them to shreds. She heard him squeeze off a few rounds in retaliation, but, judging by the particular curse he used, was rather ineffectual.

Bumblebee pulled up next to the semi, allowing her driver the opportunity to speak to her friends in need.

"You need to get off!" Yang yelled to Blake. "You're heading for the highway!"

The faunus nodded, pointing ahead of them. "I know, but it's either this or fighting him in the residential sector, which would be even worse!"

"What about the docks? We can take it there!" The blonde suggested.

"It's too far and we can't keep this up forever!"

"But-!" Yang attempted.

"This is the best option!" Blake cut her off, firing a couple of rounds into the rampaging machine. She growled when they bounced off its armor uselessly. "We either devastate an entire city block, at the very least, or we take it onto the highway where there'll be less people!"

Yang frowned. There was no good option. The blonde grit her teeth before looking back up at her partner, "Alright, fine! I'll try to keep him focused on us and not anyone else!" With that, she hit brakes suddenly, slowing down until they were just out of the robot's reach.

. . .

"Whew," Gail breathed out a contented sigh, pushing his dinner plate away from him with one hand as the other patted his full belly, "that was good." The brunette hummed next to him, eyes closed, a look of relaxation washing over her face.

"Man, today was a good day," Barrett noted, earning nods and hums of agreement. "It would take a lot of work to ruin this."

As if on cue, the telltale sounds of battle, that of gunfire and explosions. Yarri's eyes sprung open as she and the black-haired hunter turned to the towering teen simultaneously, their thoughts perfectly conveyed through the accusatory expressions etched on their faces. He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head, mumbling a sheepish, "Oops," as he did so. Just then, a yellow and black motorcycle carrying a young blonde and a man with blue hair rocketed by, the latter firing his rifle at something out of view. They watched through the large bay window in curiosity, not entirely sure what to make of the situation.

"Was that... Yang?" Yarri was the first to voice what they had all been thinking.

"And Neptune, I think," Gail added.

The water in their cups began rippling as something approached. As it became closer, their plates started to rattle and their chairs began bouncing underneath them. Whatever it was, it was _very_ big. They all exchanged looks of confusion. The restaurant began to rumble, dishes and silverware leaping off table tops as the unidentified predator trundled ever closer. Suddenly, a massive, bi-pedal machine burst into view, its thundering footsteps frightened seemingly the building itself as the framework trembled. The machine smashed cars out of the way and fired a stream of bullets at its prey.

"That's _definitely_ Yang," Gail said once it passed by.

The trio scrambled out of the restaurant as fast as they could and rushed out onto the street. Nobody seemed to make a fuss about the unpaid check left on the table, which was fine, as far as they were concerned. Any pedestrians on the sidewalk that happened to be there had stopped dead in their tasks to watch the unusual sight and even several people had even gotten out of their vehicles, standing just outside of them.

"We need to help them," Barrett declared finally.

"I'm sorry, what?" Gail asked in confusion.

"We have to help them," he repeated, turning toward his friend.

"No, I heard you the first time. I was more calling your declaration that we need to help them into question than actually asking you to repeat it."

"You don't want to help them?" Barrett asked, the confusion clear in his tone, if the contortion in his face was not enough to go by.

Gail shook his head. "Of course I do, that's not the issue. You guys don't have weapons nor do we have the time to wait for your lockers. What could we possibly do against _that_?" He pointed at the distant figure of the machine currently on a rampage to emphasize his point.

"Gail," Yarri interjected, "you have your weapon, right?"

"Yeah, always," he confirmed, patting his left side.

"Then we help," she ordered sternly, looking him in the eyes meaningfully.

The teen held his hands up defensively. "Of course, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I just thought I'd point it out."

"Good," she nodded before turning back to the problem at hand. "We need a way to catch up to them."

Barrett took a step toward them. "I have an idea," he said, gesturing toward one of the currently unoccupied vehicles.

"We can't," she frowned.

"We could.

"No, we can't!"

"It is physically possible."

"No!"

"Hey, you said it yourself, we need some way to catch up and _that_ ," he nodded toward the car, "is a way."

Yarri looked back and forth between the car and her teammate nervously. They could _not_ do that. It _was_ a solution, but not a good one. It was very illegal, for one, and highly unethical. On the other hand, were there any other options? It was justifiable, morally at least. Barrett raised his eyebrows at her, the smirk on his lips egging her on. Before she could mull on it any further, however, the crack of gunfire in the distance made up her mind for her.

"I'm so sorry!" Yarri shouted at the owner, leaning out the passenger window as they sped away toward the action, leaving the man coughing and sputtering indignantly in the exhaust. "We'll bring it back in perfect condition, I promise!"

"I didn't know you were such a rogue," Gail teased from the driver seat once she had climbed back in.

"Shut up," she mumbled pathetically.

The car blew passed torn up road and flipped vehicles alike as they attempted to catch up to their friends. Yarri looked out over the needless destruction and grimaced. Who could possibly benefit from any of this? _Hopefully, no one's been hurt,_ she thought, not quite having the courage to voice it.

"You gotta wonder," Gail spoke up finally, having apparently read her mind, "is killing Yang and Neptune really _worth_ all this?"

"Somebody thinks so," Barrett answered for her.

Yarri felt her stomach twist some at their words. There was something about the way they described the situation that ate away at her. She knew they were in danger, that was the whole reason they were here to begin with, but the more she thought about it, the worse the feeling became. A _person_ was trying to _kill_ her friends. It was an entirely different feeling than dealing with Grimm. With Grimm, you know where you stand with them. Did they see you? If yes, then they will try to kill you, because that was what they did. They _existed_ to kill people. A person, however, never killed without a reason. There is always some kind of ulterior motive, no matter how simple.

She shook her head at the prospect. How could a person kill another person? It made no sense to her. She was not dumb. An idealist, maybe, but Yarri Morez was no idiot. She knew these things happened, but that did not mean that she had to understand it. Her frown only grew deeper as they approached their objective. The destruction around them was only growing worse. Windows were blown out, walls punctured and crumbling. Parts of cars were completely crushed, most likely under the machine's heavy feet. _I hope to the Gods those were parked..._

Yarri gasped silently when she felt someone gently touch her hand. She looked over to see Gail had placed his hand on hers. "It'll be alright," he offered softly and reassuringly, his eyes firmly locked on the road.

The brunette felt her heart flutter at his words. She offered a small, if unconvincing, smile in return and adjusted her hand to entwine her slender fingers with his. "I know," she said quietly before taking a deep breath to settle her nerves, "I know."

They were close. The gunfire was growing louder and the thundering footsteps rattled them to their cores. Thankfully, the machine seemed oblivious of their approach, giving them ample time to set up. The mech was a truly intimidating thing to behold, especially up close. There was no design on its grey metal, no personal touch to make it known that a human was responsible for its creation. Did that make it better, or worse? Yarri was unsure. The arms thrashed about, flipping vehicles and tossing cars with the utmost ease.

"You guys ready?" Barrett asked despite already knowing the answer. He received a silent nod from the two in the front seats all the same. Gail eased his hand out of the brunette's and reached into his coat to retrieve his gun. Bracing the steering wheel with his knee, he checked the magazine and cocked the hammer before switching off the safety with the flick of his thumb. He flipped it around, gripping it by the muzzle, and handed it to his passenger.

Yarri looked at it, confusion etched on her face, "Don't you need it?"

"Wouldn't that fall under 'distracted driving'?" He answered lightheartedly. "I wouldn't want to get a ticket."

It may have been an awful joke, one she would have chastised him for were it any other time, but she giggled anyway. She needed a little bit of levity. "Idiot," she mumbled through her smile. She reached out and grasped the handgun by the grip and held it in both hands. It was much heavier than she had expected out of something so relatively small. She turned it over, inspecting it thoroughly and familiarizing herself with its weight. She then leaned out the window, training the sights on the rampaging mech.

"Just point and squeeze the trigger!" She heard him instruct her. "Don't pull it! Take steady breaths!" She nodded, taking a deep breath and squeezed her finger around the trigger.

The shot rang out and the recoil practically wrenched the weapon from her hands. She fell back into the car and stared at the handgun in shock.

"Lot more kickback than your bow, huh?" He laughed.

Her face flushed at his teasing. "Y-you make it look so easy..." she admitted quietly.

"S'alright, you'll get used to it pretty quick."

"Hey," Barrett interjected from the back seat, pointing out the windshield, "I hate to interrupt, but that didn't do shit!"

True to his words, the machine was left basically unscathed, the round having left a slight indent where it had struck. Evidently, the attack had done naught but alert it to their presence as it suddenly whipped around to fire a stream of bullets at them. "Down!" Barrett yelled as they all ducked. The rounds ripped into the car, shredding the interior. Bits of cloth and leather were thrown into the air only to gently float back down. Chunks of the steering wheel had been completely blown off, as well as some of the decor. Yarri's headrest had been completely ripped off and the center console had been shredded, allowing its contents to spill out into the foot well.

Gail whistled impressively as he carefully straightened up. Thankfully, the machine had spun around to continue the chase. "Now, _that_ is a big bullet," he commented offhandedly as he wiggled a finger through one of the holes in the windshield. An excited grin broke out on his lips. "I wonder what caliber it uses!" He remarked giddily.

"Are you guys hurt?" Yarri asked quickly. She let out a relieved sigh when they both shook their heads. "Okay, so, that was a bit of a bust."

"What did I tell you?" Gail asked rhetorically. Barrett smacked him on the back of his head.

"Thank you," the brunette said to the taller teen before turning her attention back to the front. "Wait, are we headed for the highway?"

"Looks like it," the hunter said, watching a road sign offering directions for the highway pass by. "In fact, here it comes now," he added as they rose up onto the overpass.

"Why? There's tons of people here!" She stated nervously, watching the multitude of cars as they accelerated by.

"I dunno, but that means we gotta take it down quickly," Barrett declared, leaning forward between the driver and passenger seats.

"Dude, back up. You're crowding me," Gail complained, trying to shove his friend back.

Barrett slapped his hands away. "You're just gonna have to deal with it."

Yarri ignored the pair with the kind of focus that only develops from being around them constantly. Up ahead, Yang was desperately weaving in and out of cars, barely managing to stay out of the robot's sights. The machine continued unimpeded, swinging arms and charging forward as it bashed vehicles out of its way. Their vehicle fishtailed back and forth as Gail jerked the steering wheel from side-to-side, managing to avoid the cars as they tumbled down the road, if only just, as they continued down the road behind them, slamming into other vehicles as they bounced against the asphalt harshly. Several cars hopped the median, skating haphazardly into oncoming traffic, either in a desperate bid to escape the destruction or as a result of being violently batted out of the way.

"We need some way to distract it while we figure something out..." Yarri trailed off once the driver had regained control of the vehicle. Before she could even start brainstorming, however, she turned around at the sound of one of the back seat windows being rolled down. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She cried at the berserker as he crawled out of it, stopping him mid-climb.

"What?" He shrugged nonchalantly. "You said we need a distraction."

"I said 'a distraction', not a _human missile_!"

He shrugged again. "What's the difference?"

"There's a huge difference! Gail, tell him!"

"I'll get you close, but you gotta do the rest!" the teen-in-question shouted to his friend, getting a muffled, "Roger that!" from the roof of the car. He glanced over at the brunette to see her glaring daggers at him. "What? You said we needed a distraction," he unwittingly echoed their other teammate she was also pissed at as he pressed down on the accelerator.

She threw her hands up in outrage and slumped back into her chair, "Fine, whatever. Just... don't get him killed!"

"No promises," he mumbled quietly, attempting to sneak it by her. She picked up on it, however, and stared him down again. "Hey, I was just kidding," he defended himself quickly before adding "mostly."

Yarri scoffed and shook her head, "Unbelievable."

The car approached the giant robot slowly. The engine thrummed louder as the hunter pushed it harder. They could hear Barrett carefully shift on the roof, every little move he made was amplified by the thin sheet of metal that covered their heads. They were close enough now, about twenty feet out, and Barrett knew it. They heard the thumps of each step he took, heavy and in quick succession. _This is it,_ the brunette thought worriedly, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. There was one final _thump_ and, before they knew it, there teammate was flying through the air toward the death machine.

There was a resounding _crack_ as the robot twisted around and easily swatted him out of the air at the last second, launching him back into the windshield of the vehicle, almost shattering the glass completely.

"Oh my gods, is he okay?!" Yarri shrieked suddenly.

"I'm sure he is," Gail answered with a calmness that shocked her. "See? He's moving," he added when, after a good fifteen seconds, the berserker slowly rolled onto his hands and knees. Gail craned his neck out the window. "Move, Barrett, I can't see!" He shouted just before he suddenly jerked the steering wheel to the left, swerving around to avoid a car in front of them. "Seriously, you're not making this easy!"

"You wanna switch spots?" He shouted back. "I'd love to see you fight this thing!"

"Me? _You_ volunteered to do this!"

"And I'm really starting to reconsider!" He responded quickly.

 _Yeah, he's_ definitely _okay,_ Yarri mused with a blank expression, but could not help the sense of relief that washed over her. "Barrett!" She spoke up finally. "In or out, you can't stay there!"

Barrett's gaze was torn from them as more gunfire erupted from the motorcycle before he looked back to the interior of the car, an almost longing expression taking over. Whatever he was mulling over halted when, finally, he shook his head and grimaced, finding his feet carefully and re-positioning himself to attack once again. He waited for the machine to lash an arm out at a semi-truck hauling a massive container.

The second attempt went much better. Too occupied with smashing a semi onto its side as it was, he managed to land on its back, his hands quickly roaming around the outer shell for a handhold before he fell off. He managed to grip onto the exhaust port directly behind the head.

"Yarri," Gail addressed her before nodding at the demolished windshield.

"Right," she responded and leaned back in her chair, pulling her legs out of the foot well and placing them on the dashboard. She then kicked both legs out, dislodging the glass entirely and let it fall away uselessly.

"Thanks," he said before pointing at the berserker, who was currently slamming his free hand into the back of the robot. "It looks like he's found something interesting. Think you could help him with that?"

The brunette smiled cockily. "'Think'? I _know_ I can."

"Then by all means," he gestured toward the gun still in her hands. "And remember, it has a lot of recoil," he teased her.

She stuck her tongue out at him before training the sights on the panel, took an even breath, then squeezed the trigger. Another shot rang out. The bullet met its intended mark, directly next to the berserker's head, but bounced off uselessly again. "It didn't do anything!" She declared, ignoring the indignant squawks Barrett made about her aim.

"Yeah, I noticed," he grumbled as he reached into his coat again, "try this." He pulled out a different magazine that was marked with a blue stripe around the center. Yarri took it and switched them out, even going so far as to re-chamber a new round. "Ooh, I'm impressed."

"Well, that's what happens when I watch you so much," she responded quickly, looking over at him. It took right up until she saw the way he quirked his brow at her for her to realize what she had said. Her face burned instantly. "Oh, n-no, t-that's not w-what I meant! I-I meant- what I was going to- I mean, I-"

"Just shoot the gun," Gail cut in abruptly, chuckling at her.

"R-right..." she mumbled, turning her attention back to the mech before she fired again.

This time, the round exploded and covered the panel and the area around in a thick coat of ice. It took a few seconds, but Barrett seemed grasp the concept. He shifted his weight, hanging from both hands, and settled his right foot on the patch of ice. He raised it as high as he could, then brought it down as hard as he could. There was a _crack_ , however, it was unsure if it was the ice or the panel. He tried again, bashing his leg into it and received another _crack_ as a result, only louder this time. Bracing both legs against the frozen-over panel, he jumped and swung his full weight into the metal, kicking out as he landed, causing the screws that held the panel in place to finally snap. As the sheet of metal fell away and onto the road, Barrett let out a victorious cheer before plunging a hand into the mass of previously-covered wiring.

He was cut short as the robot finally seemed to take notice of the invasion. It began flailing wildly to throw the attacker off and attempted to come to an abrupt stop. As it did so, its feet landed on a patch of ice, causing it to continue sliding forward. A black ribbon wrapped around the machine's legs, restricting its movements as a streak of yellow slammed into the side. It toppled over, crushing the side barrier and tumbling off the side of the overpass and down into the empty lot below, bringing the berserker along with it.

Gail pulled over and the pair bolted from the vehicle over to where the gargantuan machine had fallen. "Barrett!" He called out, ignoring any cars that flew by. "Barrett!" He came to a stop at the edge and looked down only to let a massive sigh out. "You idiot, why didn't you let go?" He demanded as he crouched down, extending a hand out.

Yarri watched as a hand reached up from over the side and grasped her teammates. She let out a breath she had no idea she was holding.

"Easy for you to say," Barrett grumbled as he slowly clambered his way back onto the overpass. "You weren't the one riding a big ass ro-bit like a wild Ursa."

Gail laughed, "Yeah, well, like I said, it was your idea to begin with."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grunted, "pull me up already."

Yang approached from the side and grasped his other hand, "Get on up here, I wanna _axe_ you a couple questions."

"I'm laughing on the inside," he retorted breathlessly as he threw a leg onto the asphalt.

"I'm not laughing at all," her white-haired teammate interjected, creating a black glyph underneath his final, dangling leg to help him up.

Just as he had managed to pull the rest of his body up, a hail of bullets tore into the bottom of the overpass, breaking off the chunk Gail and Barrett were currently standing on. The ground gave in, sending the pair free-falling to the ground below. "Gail, Barrett!" Yarri cried out, rushing to the edge. Weiss had managed to catch the latter teen with a glyph at the last second, but was too slow to catch the bespectacled huntsman.

Gail twisted in the air at the last second, landing roughly on his feet and collapsing into a messy roll in an attempt to break his fall. She could see him laying on the ground in a crumpled heap, moving sluggishly, but moving all the same. The machine barreled down on him as he slowly climbed to his feet. She gasped in horror when it struck, launching chunks of concrete and dust into the air, only to relax some when she noticed him dive out from in between its legs. _He needs help_ , she thought, already pulling her scroll out of her pocket.

"What happened?" She heard someone ask her, causing her to jump

"Ah!" She shrieked as she whirled around to identify the voice but relaxed when she saw it was just Blake. "Oh, Blake, you scared me. Gail's down there, fighting that big mech that was chasing Yang and Neptune."

Blake leaned over the side to look down at the ensuing battle and growled lowly. "This is my fault," she berated herself as she turned back to the brunette, "Torchwick was chasing me and you guys got involved too- why are you staring at me like that?"

Yarri could _not_ believe what she seeing. It had to be something else! Surely, she would have noticed before, right? Yet, here it was, staring her right in the face. How should she react? How _could_ she react? One of her friends, a person she had come to trust in a way, was a faunus. "Cat ears..." Yarri finally mumbled in shock.

Blake's amber eyes widened in realization and she turned away, her hands coming up to conceal her ears in her usual bow. "Please," she pleaded the brunette, "don't tell the others!"

The archer's brow furrowed in confusion. "What? Why not? Was it because of how I reacted? I'm sorry, I was just caught off guard!"

"No, it's not that," the faunus shook her head.

Yarri frowned slightly, "Do you not trust them? They wouldn't care."

"It's not that, either. I just... I'll tell them, but I want to do it when I'm ready. Okay?" Blake asked. The look in her eyes surprised Yarri. The commanding presence, a look of complete control in all situations, was gone completely, replaced by... desperation? It was nerve-racking, if she was honest. She did not want any responsibility that turned Blake Belladonna into... this!

Despite herself, however, she nodded. "Okay, I won't tell anybody."

Blake breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you. I promise, I will tell them. Just not now."

"Okay," Yarri nodded, "just remember, we're your friends, too."

"Why won't you just _die_ already?!" Gail shrieked as he ducked underneath the giant fist that sailed over his head. He dove away, barely dodging the foot that attempted to stomp on him.

As he sprinted to the right, headed to find cover behind one of the many large pillars, the robot's machine guns opened fire on him, ripping into the concrete right at his heels. He stumbled some as he approached the concrete pillar and yelped in pain as a few bullets caught his leg. In one last tumble, he rolled behind the pillar, gripping his injury. His aura had deflected the shots, but he felt like he had been beaned in the thigh by a softball at a hundred miles per hour.

" _Why don't you just come on out, kid?_ " A disembodied voice demanded smugly, but there was a sense of weariness belying the confidence. Gail looked around, trying to discern where it was coming from. " _I'm not even here for you. We're just wasting my time._ "

"Why don't you bite me?!" He felt weird yelling into the air like that, but it was not like he was sure which direction he should be shouting.

" _Hmph,_ " the voice grunted, " _suit yourself._ "

With that, the guns erupted into another hail of bullets, tearing into the pillar and shredding it with ease. Chunks of concrete were blasted away, leaving the teen hiding behind it with less and less cover. Gail slid down to the ground, trying to make himself as small a target as possible, praying that someone would come to his aid soon.

 _THOOM_

As if on cue, the blonde brawler dropped down on top of the robot, fist crashing into the metal and denting it with relative ease. She leapt back, flipping over a blind counter, then fired behind her the moment she landed. She slid to a stop directly underneath the head, fired a round underneath her, propelling herself upward into a devastating uppercut. She twisted in mid-air, coming around to face the mech and fired both gauntlets into its head, launching herself away and out of its reach. She somersaulted through the air and landed on her feet, sliding back to where Gail was watching in awe.

"Catch, Cowboy," she said calmly as she reached into her waistband and tossed something to him. "Your girlfriend said you might need this."

Gail blushed lightly as he snatched his weapon out of the air, "Thanks for the save."

"No problem," she offered with an easy wink. "Now, let's see what you can do."

"Against _that_?" He snorted in wry amusement as he checked the remaining ammunition in his magazine. "Not much, but I'll probably serve as a pretty good distraction."

" _Why, hello Blondie!_ " The voice greeted cheerily once the machine had found its feet. " _Where's your little Kitty-kat? She's never very far behind!_ "

"You don't need to worry about her. We're more than enough for you, Torchwick!" Yang shouted at the robot.

 _Who's 'Torchwick'? Hell, who's 'Kitty-kat', for that matter? A faunus, maybe? But, Sun's the only faunus we know, at least, as far as I'm aware._ Gail's questions raced through his head a mile-a-minute, but decided now was not the time.

" _Oh, that's so cute. You wanna test that theory?_ " The voice taunted.

"Gladly!" She called back before looking to the black-haired teen, earning a nod in return.

The two rushed forward and split off, Gail heading right as Yang went left, attempting to circle around it. The machine followed the blonde, apparently deciding she was the bigger threat. She ducked under its massive fist before leaping up and over the attack aimed directly at her, the fist following through and demolishing the concrete. She landed on the arm and sprinted up it. The robot swung its other arm at her, trying to knock her off. There was a loud _crack_ , resulting in the machine's limbs seizing immediately. Yang dove forward, slamming her fist into its face, causing it to rack back on its frozen heels. She ran along the back and dove off, landing just behind it and delivering a blow to the back of its leg, throwing it off its feet and onto its back.

"How'd- you- do- that?" Yang asked between punches as she continued to pummel the paralyzed robot's head.

"There's an open hatch on its back. I fired an electric dust round into it and it froze," he explained as he switched magazines again.

Just then, the machine rumbled to back life, a hand shooting up and snatching the brawler off its face before she could react. " _Cute trick,_ " the voice commended sarcastically as the mech picked itself up, ignorning the angered attempts to escape its grasp the blonde was making. " _I knew I should've blown you three off the road when I had the chance._ " The machine turned to the hunter, leveling a machine gun on him as the other hand began to tighten around Yang, eliciting an angry growl of pain from her. _"Oh well, live and learn. At least, I will. I don't know if the same can be said about you."_

Before he fired however, something large, rocket-powered and moving faster than Gail could identify slammed into it with an impressive _crash_ , throwing the machine on its side as it glanced off its shoulder and struck the pavement at an angle. Sparks flashed in each direction from the two metal surfaces connecting at such a high velocity. _A rocket-locker! That's gotta be-_ his thoughts were cut off as another locker struck the ground a few feet away from the first. His two teammates landed down next to their respective lockers and were already punching their codes into the keypads and flinging the doors open by the time Gail made his way over to them. The brunette looked back at him, relief that he had managed to stay relatively unharmed visible in her deep blue eyes, before turning back to the rising mech, brawler in hand.

"Nice of you two to finally join us," he half-joked.

"Just be glad we didn't leave without you," Barrett retorted before pointing an axe at the Atlesian tech. "Hey, you, big ass robot!"

" _Ugh,_ more _Muppet_ _Babies?_ " The voice groaned.

"Put the woman down!" He demanded, ignoring the snide remark.

" _Or what?_ " It responded with an disbelieving chuckle, holding Yang out to the side as if to show her off as it began crushing her again. " _You gonna make me?_ "

"I won't," he shrugged. There was a blur of colors, red, white and black, as the remaining members of team RWBY landed in front of them, weapons held at the ready, "but they will."

Weiss, Ruby and Blake dashed forward, the heiress and faunus diverting to the left and right respectively, as Ruby charged down the middle. The mech lifted its free arm, firing a volley of bullets at the reaper. Ruby disappeared into a trail of rose petals before appearing above the robot, firing two rounds into its face. Blake and Weiss slashed at the legs, cutting across the back of the knees. It stumbled some, but managed to stay upright and raked a fist across the ground at the two huntresses. They leapt away, Weiss forming a glyph behind her and launching off of it gracefully while Blake fired Gambol Shroud, the rounds bouncing off the robot's upraised arm.

Yang reached down and gripped the thumb pressed against her stomach and tried to pry it away. It did not budge. She was not strong enough, nor was she in the right position. She had no leverage to do so, nothing to brace against.

Yarri noticed her actions and turned to the towering huntsman next to her. "Barrett, help Yang out!" He nodded and sprinted toward the melee. "Gail," she addressed the hunter, turning to face him, "are you okay?"

"What?" He asked, looking at her. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good. I need you to keep his attention off of them, whatever you have to do."

"Right," he nodded. He took a step, but stopped and turned back to her. "Being a leader suits you," he offered with a smile before rushing off, leaving her to her thoughts.

She felt her face flush slightly, but she quickly shook it away and readied her bow.

Barrett leapt onto the hand and braced his legs on the fingers as he too began to pull. Just like before, the appendage did not move, leaving the two straining their muscles for nothing. Suddenly, the robot let out an annoyed sigh and tutted at them. The hand began tightening again, causing Yang to cry out in pain. "Shit!" Barrett cursed loudly, eyes flicking around as he looked for some way to help. He wastched the the three members of team RWBY strike strategically, leaving the robot stumbling, he looked to his own team, serving to distract it from them. _Pull, damn it,_ pull _!_ He thought angrily. _If I don't find a way to get Yang outta this, she's gonna die!_

Suddenly, he felt a wave of intense heat wash over him and he was forced to close his eyes. He peeked an eye open and looked back to the brawler to see her eyes had swapped their natural lilac eyes to a disturbingly _more_ natural deep red. Her blonde hair was glowing bright, almost as if it had burst into flames. She grit her teeth in an angry grimace and dug her fingers into the metal, bending it with ease. She began wrenching the thumb up and away, bending the joint out of place. As the thumb was slowly pulled back, Yang took a sudden and sharp breath, thankful to be able to breathe properly again.

"I'll just uh... back up," Barrett said quietly, dropping to the ground and rolling away to avoid being stepped on. He watched as Yang burst through the rest of the fingers and slam a fist into the side of the robot, leaving a large dent in her place.

"Woo, go Yang!" Gail cheered, slashing across the mech's legs.

The robot whirled around, swinging at him wildly. He leapt up, placed a hand on its shoulder and vaulted over the mech, fired a few explosive rounds at it while upside down, and landed in a tight roll. He looked up at the mech just in time to see a leg flying at him. He dropped to the ground, the attack passing just overhead, and rolled to the side to avoid a devastating stomp that most likely would have killed him. He immediately jumped to his feet and sprinted to the right, avoiding a hail of gunfire before he dashed forward through its legs and came out the other side, firing another round at it. The machine twisted around to face him faster than he expected, throwing a left jab. He tensed, his body already moving to the right to dodge the predictable attack, but the mech stopped halfway and swung its other arm, knuckles dragging against the concrete, leaving a long trail of torn up concrete, at him in an upward arc. The fist crashed into him at full force, sending him flying across the battlefield.

Pods on its shoulder's opened up as a series of sensors began casting red lights, each laser landing on a fighter. The pods let out a volley of missiles, each guided explosive tracking its target with extreme prejudice. Weiss used a glyph to amplify Blake's abilities and she began launching arcs of violet energy at the missiles heading toward her and her team. The missiles were cleaved in half, leaving them to detonate harmlessly above them. Three more missiles streaked toward the three members of MUHZ. Yarri fired an explosive arrow at hers, detonating it prematurely while Barrett waited until the last second to strike it, causing it to veer off course and explode against a pillar. The final missile, however, streaked toward the dazed hunter. He sluggishly dove out of the way, but was unable to dodge the concussive blast that launched him back.

Gail skipped across the ground like a stone on water before bouncing off of a pillar unceremoniously and flopping to the ground in a crumpled heap. It turned out that getting uppercutted by a big death-bot hurt _immensely_ , as did plowing into a massive concrete pillar and having a missile blow up in your face. He laid on his stomach, cheek pressed against the cold, unforgiving concrete, vision swimming and ears ringing. Slowly, he picked his head up and looked around, his glazed-over green eyes settling on the massive rampaging robot. _Since when were there_ two _of them...?_ That was the first thought that crossed his mind. It took a few seconds for his brain to catch up with reality, but, once it had, he was already slowly climbing onto his knees. _My everything hurts..._ he noted internally, a hand resting on his ribs, for all the good it did. His aura had absorbed most of it, thankfully, but that did nothing to stop the attacks from rattling his entire skeletal system or stopping his internal organs from jolting painfully, nor did it stop it from finally giving out when he connected with the pillar. He was slow to get up, struggling just to get off his knees. Once he did finally manage to stand on wobbling legs, they gave the moment he attempted to take a step, sending him toppling onto his face.

"Gail!" Someone shouted. Or, at least he thought so, as it was mostly overpowered by the ringing. He saw a boot land in front of his face, kicking dirt into his eyes. He could not bring himself to care, however. He felt weightless, as though on the verge of sleep, yet every limb felt incredibly heavy. Every movement he made seemed to sap a worrying amount of stamina from him. He felt a pressure on his ribs as the person pushed on his side to roll him onto his back. He found himself face up, a pair of deep blue eyes staring back at him. He could tell they were beautiful, even through the blurriness that obscured a lot of his vision. A brunette gently placed her tender hands on his cheeks. He could see the concern in her eyes.

Who was she, though? There was a familiarity to her, a nagging feeling of recognition that he could not quite place. That feeling told him to say something, anything, to make her soft, pink lips curve from the worried frown they wore into an exuberant smile. He blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear his vision, but it did nothing to help. His eyes felt like they had been smeared over with a gel. She seemed to be saying something to him, but what it was was completely beyond him. She might as well have been speaking a different language.

"Gail, hey, hey," Yarri cooed in a low voice, comforting him as best she could. "You took a bit of a hit, but you're alright." As she said that, the hunter sluggishly reached up and grasped her left hand in his right in a rough, yet lax grip. She smiled softly at him, her free hand running through his messy thick hair as she wrapped her fingers around his palm. "You'll be alright, I promise," she offered, but was left unconvinced, even to herself. Her smile died an ugly death when she noticed her hand running through his hair come away covered with a startling amount of blood. Her lips fell into a deep frown, but her attention was caught by a devastating explosion over at the fight. She felt Gail squeeze her hand lightly and she looked back down at him.

"I'm ekay," he slurred out.

"No, you're not," she whispered to herself as she began dragging him back. She sat him up against the pillar and pulled her scroll out of her pocket. She leveled it with his head and flipped the flashlight function on, shining the light into his eyes from an angle. She gave a weary sigh at the dilated pupil. "You've got a concussion," she mumbled to no one in particular as she checked his other eye. Another explosion ripped her attention away from the hunter. She quickly turned back to him, chewing on her lip in nervousness and concern. _I can't just leave him here, but I can't ignore the fight, either._ She scratched the back of her head in frustration before looking him in the eyes. "Will you be okay if I leave you, just for a little bit?" She asked, guilt bubbling up in her gut.

He raised a shaky hand and gave her an unconvincing thumbs up.

She shook her head, frowning. It did not feel right, leaving him without tending to his injuries. There was not much she could do for him right now, however, and if this fight did not end soon, nobody would be able to. She may not be able to help him, but she could help the others. The brunette stood slowly, watching him the whole way. She slipped her bow from around her shoulders and began jogging away. She stopped a few feet away to look back one last time. _He'll be okay,_ she reminded herself, but it did nothing to fill the pit in her stomach.

. . .

"Freezerburn!" Ruby shouted before the battlefield erupted in a cloud of steam.

Yarri dropped to her knees, sliding between the massive legs and fired an electric arrow into the hip joint. She immediately leapt to her feet before performing a back handspring to avoid the mech's counter-attack, the fist colliding with the pavement and shattering it like glass. The attack was sluggish and awkward, due to the paralyzed leg. She dashed to the left, dodging another hail of bullets, and drew an explosive arrow from her quiver.

Yang hit the machine like a meteor, leaving a large dent in the side of the head and causing it to stumble away. It spun toward her, attempting to swat her away, but was stopped by an ice pillar as it erupted from the ground and formed around the metal. The robot used its other arm to smash the pillar and free itself, only to be pounded by a series of sniper rounds to the face.

It fired at the young reaper, but she disappeared in a flurry of rose petals and reappeared directly in front of the robot. She launched upward, avoiding a kick, dragging her scythe along the metal and cutting deeply into the thick plating. It swung at her haphazardly, but struck nothing but air and more petals. It twisted suddenly, lashing out to strike the incoming black-haired huntress. It hit an ethereal clone as Blake flipped over the arm, slicing across the inside of the elbow. Yarri stood back, explosive arrow nocked, ready and waiting for an opportunity.

Weiss launched into the air from a glyph, dodging a flurry of bullets, and flew to another, newly-formed glyph behind the machine. She landed on the glyph and noticed the mass of wires hanging out of an open hatch. She launched herself toward it, Myrtenaster's chamber spinning to an electricity cartridge, and jammed her weapon into the hatch, activating the dust the moment she made contact. The entire robot seemed to freeze up, any actions it was in the process of making having stopped completely.

Yarri began firing explosive arrows into the head, each explosion rocking the entire frame. It was completely at her mercy and she knew it. She would make it pay for injuring her friends. Soon enough, the machine was totally obscured by the smoke, but she did not let up. Thankfully, nobody made a move to stop her. This fight was almost over. She reached back to the quiver, but frowned at the lack of explosive arrows. She drew a regular arrow and nocked it, but held off, waiting instead for a clear shot. As the smoke finally began to clear, she smirked slightly. It was still standing, but the retreating thick black smoke revealed the mech and all of the scorch marks, dents and cracks it had sustained. On top of all that, the head had cracked in a spiderweb like design, almost like it was... _Glass_? She thought, eyes wide. _But that means-!_ One of the guns erupted into gunfire.

The bullets bounced off of her aura and tossed her back from the impact. She rolled a few times before pushing off the ground with a hand and landing on her feet. Her eyes flicked down to the red dot trained on her chest. Her gaze trailed up the light to the missile pod attached to the machine's shoulder. It lifted an arm and gave her a snarky wave before launching a missile. The explosive rocketed toward her faster than she could react. Her eyes closed and she turned her head away, toward the hunter leaning against a pillar on the other side of the lot.

The heat from the explosion was intense. Her internal organs rocked from the concussive wave that hit her. Oddly enough, she felt it all, which meant she was still alive. Something heavy clipped her left shoulder, throwing her off to the side as whatever had crashed into her was tossed away. She picked her head up and looked at the object, eyes widening in shock. "Barrett?" She asked in confusion as she was not entirely convinced that it had actually happened.

"Ow," he groaned, picking himself back up, albeit slowly, "that's the last time I ever take a missile for you."

"Wait, how did you-" she started before his raised hand cut her off.

"We got bigger problems," he stated, gesturing toward the fight as he trudged over to her and extended a hand out. "Let's finish this."

Yarri nodded, accepting the hand and hoisting herself up, "Right."

"Ladybug!" They heard Ruby shout as the her and Blake slashed at the machine mercilessly, cutting chunks off of it entirely.

This fight was over.

. . .

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Gail grumbled, leaning forward on edge of the ambulance and pushing the medic currently wrapping his head in gauze aside.

"Yeah, it was awesome!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly, waving her arms around animatedly. "Blake was like _WHOOSH_ , then Weiss came flying in with Myrtenaster and was all like _FWA-PAH_! Then, Torchwick punched Yang through a pillar, but it was okay because that's her Semblance and she came back and was like 'Boo-yah' before punching _him_ so hard, the Paladin fell apart!"

"I missed all of that?!" He crossed his arms over his chest. "This is bullshit. I want a redo!"

"You don't need to worry, we kicked enough ass to make up for you," Yang nodded, her cocky grin in place.

"Mulligan!" He continued unimpeded. "What happened next?"

The reaper frowned. "Well," she began to explain, her energy levels having taken a bit of a hit and she rubbed a hand on her forearm, "Torchwick got away in the end. This weird girl showed up, but when Yarri shot an arrow at them, they shattered like glass and, before we knew it, they were taking off in an airship."

Gail shrugged instead, "Well, you can't always get the bad guy. At least we stopped the White Fang from getting a Paladin."

The girl smiled widely and nodded, "Yeah, that thing's nothing but scrap now!"

"Good to hear. Looks like my work here is done," he stated, his tone and the way he slapped his knees with his palms indicated the conversation was over with.

"You didn't do anything," the redhead pointed out.

"I offered moral support."

"Was that before or after you passed out? That doesn't leave a whole lotta space to cheer us on, between your mad ramblings and the way you mumbled sweet nothings about a certain archer we know." Yang teased, nudging him with her elbow.

Gail's face blanched. "You have no proof I did _any_ of that."

"The medics say otherwise."

"The 'medics' can shut their collective mouths if they know what's good for them," he threatened, glaring at the man currently tending to his wounds.

Yang laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. "Oh, right, sorry..." she scratched the back of her head, quickly retracting her hand.

"That's alright," he groaned out, rolling his shoulder forward. "By the way, where's Blake and Weiss?"

"Where do you _think_ the Ice Queen is right now?" Yang smirked knowingly.

"I could probably take a guess," he nodded. "What about Blake?"

Ruby and Yang looked at each other before turning back to him. "She's... unwinding," Ruby said finally.

"Anything wrong?"

"Not sure yet," Yang answered, arms crossing under her breasts. "We'll keep you posted, though."

"I'd appreciate it. I'd hate to have gone through all this," he began, pointing at the bandage wrapped around his head, "and it turns out it was for nothing. Besides, we're her friends. We'll do anything we can to help."

"Thanks, that'll mean a lot to her," Ruby offered. "We're sorry you got hurt because of us."

"Hm? Oh, don't worry about it. It's all good. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant keeping even one of us from coming back in a body bag, you know? It's not your fault I'm an idiot."

"You got that right!" Someone shouted at him from the side.

The three teens turned to identify the newcomer, eyes settling on the archer. "Uh-oh," the blonde mumbled, giving the hunter a sympathetic glance.

"I think I might be in trouble," he whispered, his form sagging lightly.

"I think so, too," Ruby agreed, her and her sister taking a small step away from him, just in case.

The brunette descended upon the group quickly, making a bee-line right for the black-haired teen. He looked to the others for support, and possible protection, but none of them seemed willing to involve themselves. He shot them a glare to show his displeasure in their betrayal, but turned back to the approaching threat. He gave her an unconfident smile and raised his hands in the air, as if to say, ' _what can you do?_ ' She stopped just in front of him and stared daggers into his soul.

Gail waited a few seconds, expecting something to happen. Nothing came, however. "Uh," he stammered, quirking his brow at her, "hi- _oof_!"

Yarri collided with him, knocking him over into the back of the ambulance. The arms around his neck squeezed tightly, restricting his air supply somewhat and her full weight pressing down on him caused the dull aches he felt to skyrocket to sharp pains. He took in a sharp breath, attempting to ward off the knives he felt digging into his bones. Despite all of that, however, he made no attempt to remove her, choosing instead to wrap his arms around her waist and return the embrace.

Yang cleared her throat quietly and said, "We're, uh, gonna go find Blake," to no one before the pair awkwardly shuffled away.

The brunette refused to let go of him, her hold only growing stronger. She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and he could feel a few tears stain his shirt. A pit opened in his gut and his lips sank into a frown. He had no idea he had made her feel like this and it pained him worse than any of his injuries to see her in this state. He reached up and rubbed her back comfortingly, his other arm on her waist squeezing tighter. He had no intention of doing this to her, or anyone, for that matter. This was not a feeling he relished, one that felt so familiar. It was one he had grown up with.

"Are you okay?" She asked finally, sniffling into his neck.

He smiled warmly, "Yeah, I'll be fine. A couple of bumps and scrapes, some bone bruises and a cracked rib. Those'll heal pretty quickly. The worst of it is the concussion, but they've hit me with a couple of aura boosters, so I should be good to go in a few days. I just need to take it easy for a little while."

He felt her shake her head and mumble, "Idiot," into his chest. His smile only grew wider, despite himself. _Yes, I am._

"A-hem," a man cleared his throat pointedly, attempting to catch their attention. Gail wished she would ignore it.

She chose not to, however, and as Yarri pulled away finally, breaking the embrace, he found himself missing it already. With great effort, he managed to perch himself on his elbows and identify the person that had ruined his mood. He blanched immediately, as did the girl sat next to him.

"Yarri," the captain addressed her before his eyes slid over to the boy. " _Hail_ ," he ground out venomously.

He did not even have the energy to correct him. "D-daddy!" The brunette squeaked out, wiping each eye with the heel of her palm. "What're you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I am the police captain and a crime has been committed," he answered coldly, eyes boring into her. "Moreover, I'm a father that's curious and concerned as to why my daughter has been involved in an international incident."

"International?" Gail asked quickly, brow furrowing in confusion.

"You can't tell me you're shocked. You guys just destroyed a piece of Atlas tech after it was stolen from Mistralian airspace and rampaged around the streets of Vale for half an hour. I would say this lands itself _firmly_ in the 'international' territory."

"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled pathetically, looking down into her lap, "it just... got out of hand."

"'Got out of hand'," he grumbled and shook his head. "Yarri, this is serious! You could get in a lot of trouble for this!"

"I-I know, but we didn't start it!"

"It doesn't matter who started it! What matters is that there are a lot of people hurt and an ungodly high amount of dollars in property damage! Even if we ignore all of that, you stole somebody's car! What's the matter with you?"

The brunette flinched at each accusation, her hands balling up in frustration. "We were just trying to help," Gail interjected sternly, placing a hand on hers for support. "If we hadn't done what we did, more people could've been hurt."

"You think that'll keep the public at bay? Do you think they _care_ about your intentions? With a case this high profile, they only give a shit about one thing: someone to the blame."

"Wait, you're saying that we're gonna get in trouble because some people are upset that we stole a car to stop a rampaging murder-bot?"

"Listen kid, the public only cares if someone takes the fall. We can point fingers all day long at the real culprits, but at the end of it all, they only want results. The White Fang might be to blame for all this, but you all are the faces of it."

"B-but the Council..." Yarri offered quietly.

"Will only do what the public wants," he finished for her. "They don't care if a bunch of kids have to take the fall, whatever keeps the people docile, keeps the Grimm docile." The captain gave a weary sigh and ran a hand through his long, unruly hair. "I'm not saying it _will_ happen, I'm just saying we have to be careful about what we say, when we say it," he continued gently.

Yarri blinked a few tears away and sniffled before looking up at her father. "We?" She asked.

"Of course, 'we'," he answered softly and let out a heavy sigh. He crouched down, meeting her eye-level. "Listen, Sweet Pea, you're my daughter and I know that your intentions were good. I'll do whatever I can to help, but to do that, I need to-"

"These are some of the people witnesses claim they saw fighting the robot," a woman, back turned to the group, dressed in a sharp, lavender-colored suit announced evenly into the camera in front of her. She pivoted around on her heel and approached them faster than they expected, shoving her microphone onto the black-haired teen's face first, the cameraman following closely behind, documenting everything. "Care to make a comment?" She all but demanded.

Gail immediately faced the other way, raising an arm up to cover his face from the camera.

"What about you?" She switched to the younger brunette.

Yarri froze under the camera's light, her eyes widening slightly as her body showed off its best impression of 'deer in headlights'. "Um, uh, n-not even a r-robot suit could stop us from b-beating Torchwick," She offered weakly, adding an immensely nervous chuckle for good measure before anyone could stop her.

"Roman Torchwick, as in the criminal that has been at large for months now, was _piloting_ the robot? Care to elaborate on th-?"

"No she doesn't!" Her father answered gruffly, shoving his hand into the camera lens to block it. "Get back behind the line before I arrest you for obstruction!" He pursued the reporter and cameraman closely to make sure they followed his instructions, barking orders to a pair of uniformed officers.

The brunette turned to look at her teammate, a guilty frown plastered across her dirt-caked face. "I think I messed up."

He gave a heavy sigh before draping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close. She rested her head on his chest and hummed softly. "We all did, Yarri, we all did."

. . .

The door to the war room creaked open, the hallway light spreading across the dimly lit room. A single lamp hung overhead, illuminating the maps and blueprints strewn about the table. Two men stood on opposite ends, discussing whatever plans they had in hushed tones. The soldier that had opened the door stood by, waiting for acknowledgement. The pair looked at each other before one of them gestured for her.

She moved swiftly across the room, the echo of her heels clicking against the metal floor reverberated off every surface. She shifted the tablet under her arm, nervously fidgeting with it as she approached. She stopped in front of the table, body stiff and at attention. She was so close. The plans were just out of view. She knew she should not of, but despite herself, her eyes flicked down at the papers. She had to know what was next...

"What is it?" Her leader demanded curtly, snapping her attention back to him.

"Uh, right," she nodded, looking down as she tried to find her reason for being here before quickly realized that it was still tucked under her arm. She handed it over to him. "This was the last news report to go out tonight."

The man eyed her as the other made his way around the table to watch. He pressed play.

" _Um, uh, n-not even a r-robot suit could stop us from b-beating Torchwick, heh-heh..._ "

His eyes flicked back up to her and she fidgeted nervously under his gaze.

" _No she doesn't!_ " The words were followed by the sounds of shuffling, pushing and the microphone tapping against random objects. " _Get back behind the line before I arrest you for_ _obstru-!_ "

The video cut out, leaving the them in silent tension that could be cut with a knife. That was until the other man spoke up.

"Where is Torchwick now?" He demanded.

"He's on an airship, sir, heading back to base."

"And the Paladin?" The first man asked next.

The woman bowed her head at him, "Destroyed, sir."

"Hm... is that so?" He posed the question to no one in particular, but the woman nodded regardless. He replayed the video, watching with narrowed eyes. He paused it after a few seconds and held out the still image. "Who is this girl?"

* * *

 _Bum bum bummm!_

 _The real twist is t_ _hat this story is actually going somewhere finally._

 _So, new chapter and an extensive fight scene with it!_ _I hope it was written clearly. Fight scenes can be especially difficult to write because you can screw it up in one of two ways: you over-explain every little mundane action to paint a clear scene, but by doing so, the fight can become a slog to try and get through. The other way is by the author knowing what's supposed to be happening, so they write vaguely or concisely, making it difficult to gain a clear understanding of what's going on. I hope I found a good middle ground, especially considering how difficult it can be to keep track of that many fighters at once._

 _This was mostly a Yarri-centric chapter as I felt this would be a good chance to show her tactical side as well as some of her fears of actually being required to lead her team and not just be a place-holder. I'll admit, though, that this may not have been the best moment, considering how when I re-watched the fight scene in RWBY-proper, team RWBY pretty much had it handled through most of it. You know, i_ _t always struck me as odd that they led Torchwick onto the highway without a clear reason and nobody seems to even question it. It may have been intended to be a mistake the characters made, but if it was, RT never conveyed that properly, mostly because nobody gets even the slightest slap on the wrist for it. They just make a joke about it and then walk away._

 _Speaking of slaps on the wrist, that was actually the reason why I added Gail being injured in the fight. My major problem with V1 and 2 (and was thankfully solved in 3) was the lack of tension throughout. Nobody gets injured during any of the fights they have, nobody gets in trouble for getting in the fights in the first place, and even when they have the perfect opportunity to introduce consequences, Neo is scared off by Raven before anything can happen. Now, I'm not saying anybody needed to die or be seriously disfigured in the first couple seasons, but seriously, the one time we actually see a character get in trouble was the 1st episode (or maybe it was episode 2) when Glynda is grilling Ruby. But even then, that's completely thrown out the window because Ozpin literally overrides Glynda's authority to skip Ruby ahead 2 years. The Grimm have it worse! This ancient evil that almost managed to hunt humanity to extinction doesn't actually pose any threat to any of our heroes! The first thing we see Yang do is decimate three Ursas, by herself, without breaking a sweat and two supposedly extremely dangerous older Grimm are wiped out by some teenagers (and from what we later see of fully-trained huntsmen, we know they'll only grow far more powerful than they already are)!_

 _So, in short, I felt that Gail being injured during the fight would be a good way to show that this kind of lifestyle does hold consequences if you're not careful. Obviously, I wasn't going to give him permanent brain damage or amnesia in the 9th chapter, but my point still stands._

 _Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading!_

 _P.S. if anyone's curious, my buddy's story is called 'New Horizons' and his username is Kyzer IX. I highly recommend it over this dumpster fire you're currently reading._


	10. Chapter 10

_Quick admin before we get started: for whatever reason, when I was writing the last chapter, despite looking up reference material for the Paladin multiple times, I think I still somehow crossed it with the mechs from Avatar (you know, Dances with Wolves, but with blue cat-people instead of Kevin Costner), so that might explain a bit of strangeness on my part. Also, did the Paladin have an intercom system too, or am I just f*cking bananas? I could've sworn Torchwick had an intercom system._

* * *

Ruby fidgeted nervously in the small elevator as it climbed the towering spire to the top, a thousand questions running through her mind all at once. She had been alerted that her "presence was requested," as the message on her scroll said, by the headmaster himself. She was also instructed to come alone, which only added to her confused dread. Any possible reason eluded her. Had she done something wrong? She could not think of anything, she was too small to break the rules! Her grades could not have been that bad, both her partner and her sister made sure of that. If not that, then what?

The elevator glided to a stop, but the motion still made her stomach lurch uncomfortably despite herself. _This is it_ , she thought with a frown. With a soft _ding_ , the doors slid open to reveal the waiting room and, much to her surprise, another student- one she knew well- already seated by the door, the same look of gloom mirroring her own. She padded across the room and took a seat next to her. The brunette turned and regarded her with a friendly smile.

"Did the headmaster call for you, too?" Yarri asked after a few moments of silence.

The redhead nodded, "And sans team."

The brunette chuckled. "Me too," she said before quirking a brow at her. "Do you know what it's about?"

"Not a clue. A pizza party, if we're lucky," Ruby offered with a shrug.

"I like your optimism," she said through a fit of giggles, "but something tells me it's not that."

"So, I'm not overreacting then."

Yarri cocked her head at her and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you don't seem too excited to be here either, so I'm glad to know that I'm not crazy."

The brunette smiled and shook her head, "No, you're not crazy."

"Yay," Ruby mumbled before letting out a sigh, "I wish I knew what this was about."

"I guess we'll found out soon enough," the other huntress replied as she turned back to the door.

A few minutes passed before the double doors swung open, revealing the deputy headmistress, in all her terrifying presence. Her piercing gaze settled on the pair in an instant and she nodded toward them. The girls took it as a sign to enter and did so as quickly as possible, afraid to provoke the frightening woman's ire. Ruby allowed the brunette to go before her, less out of politeness and more to put distance between herself and Goodwitch. Much to her chagrin, however, the full-fledged huntress brought up the rear, just to ruin her plans it seemed.

Their footsteps echoed through the massive room, the click of Glynda's heels accentuating each of their steps. The office was practically barren; aside from a small table next to the door, the headmaster's desk and a pair of chairs, there was no other furniture in the room, which only contributed to the acoustics of the room. The gears above them clicked away endlessly, bathed in a faint emerald light that cast menacing shadows. The stiff, jerking movements only made the room feel less hospitable.

Ozpin looked up from his terminal and to them as they approached, the light from the screen that illuminated his face cutting off abruptly and sinking back into the desk, leaving him as nothing more than a silouhette against the half-circle bay window behind him. His features were indecipherable through the shadows and he gestured to the seats across from him once they were close enough. The pair took them without a word, sitting in the wooden chairs rigidly as Goodwitch made her way around the desk to stand by her employer.

They watched the headmaster with expectant gazes, however, he did not return them. Instead he took a long sip from his mug before leaning back in his chair, finally revealing the neutrally calm expression that he always had. However, Ruby could see the steel in his brown eyes. There was an intensity to them that was not usually there.

Finally, he took a deep breath, steepled his fingers in front of him, and spoke deliberately. "Before we begin, I'd like to thank you both for coming on such short notice."

The pair were quiet for a few moments before it became apparent he was expecting a response. "I-It's no problem," Ruby offered quickly with an unsure smile.

the professor returned it before looking at each girl individually and letting out a deep breath, "I'm sure you both have no end of questions, so I'll answer them now. I called you in because of the... incident that took place over the weekend." Ruby immediately slumped back in her chair, guilt bubbling up within her. Yarri looked down at her lap, evidently feeling the same. Their actions did not go unnoticed as Ozpin quickly added, "None of you are in trouble, I assure you."

The girls perked up some at his words and looked at each other with a renewed sense of hope. That was until the headmaster continued.

"However, there _are_ things that must be discussed."

"Like your involvement at all," Glynda added sternly, arms crossed.

"Indeed," Ozpin agreed with a solemn nod, "you lot have made things quite complicated for everyone, haven't you? I am curious as to how you managed to make an enemy out of both the White Fang _and_ Roman Torchwick of all people. If I'm not mistaken, this isn't the first encounter you've had with them, correct?" The question was aimed at the younger of the two students and the redhead nodded slowly, eyes downcast. Neither spoke up as neither really knew how to answer the question.

Glynda responded for them once it was clear they were not going to, "It doesn't matter in the end, does it?"

"I suppose not. The result is the same either way. You still managed plant yourselves directly in the middle of a kingdom-spanning controversy."

"But we didn't start it!" Yarri protested quickly. "We were trying to end it!"

Ozpin let out a sigh, "It matters little-"

"Doesn't it?!" Yarri interrupted harshly, earning a pair of sharp looks from her professors. The brunette instantly shrank under their gazes, her face flushing under the pressure. "I-I mean, w-we didn't hurt anyone and if we hadn't done anything, more people could have gotten hurt."

"That's precisely the problem," Glynda responded, ignoring their confused expressions. "People _were_ hurt and you were directly involved in the incident. On top of that, there was an ungodly high amount of property damage- that you should be thankful Beacon is footing the bill," she added with a stern glare.

"We aren't saying you weren't justified in your actions, and if you were part of some kind of sanctioned police force or recognized huntsmen, then you might have been praised in your involvement in ending the threat as quickly as possible," Ozpin explained in as gentle a tone as he could while also remaining disciplinary.

"But none of you are any of that. Being students give you a certain amount of leeway, generally speaking, but these incidents have been too often in too short a time to be ignored. Stopping Torchwick at the docks was one thing, even if you did end up decimating a good portion of it. You were lucky for it to have been contained to the docks."

"Once is a coincidence, but the more often it happens, the less it can be forgiven. Even if it is by accident, it will begin to look intentional to everyone else."

"Accountability is everything," Glynda added, her mouth set in a thin line, "and there are a lot of people that believe that us huntsmen aren't taken to task for our actions often enough. If you add students running around, doing as they wish and damning the consequences, then you might be able to understand how the public feels."

Yarri and Ruby glanced at each other, their guilty expressions mirroring each other. "Please understand," Ozpin began gently, uncoupling his hands and placing them on the desk, "we aren't angry with you. I can't speak for Miss Goodwitch, but I find your willingness to jump in to danger-"

"Even if woefully unprepared," the blonde woman growled under her breath.

"-commendable, at the very least," the headmaster continued unimpeded, stopping short of rolling his eyes, "and it is exactly what we wish to see from our students."

Ruby wanted to smile from the praise, but she could feel the, "but" coming and it scared her more than she liked to admit. Judging from Yarri's expression, she seemed to be feeling much the same.

"However," he said after a few moments, and the words he was going to say seemed to conflict with him, "the Council does not feel the same way."

"The Council? Why would they be upset?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"They believe your actions to be reckless and only served to endanger the lives of others. Unfortunately, they also share the opinion of the public, in that sense."

Glynda snorted in barely concealed disgust, "More like they're bending to the public."

"Regardless," Ozpin continued, raising a hand to quiet her, "they have their reasons, which means this is not something that can be ignored." He let out another sigh and looked the girls across from him in the eyes. "The only reason you haven't been expelled is because of us."

"E-Expelled?!" they shrieked in unison.

"What for?!" Ruby demanded incredulously.

"Vigilantism, property damage, reckless endangerment, use of aura without a cause, among others," the deputy headmistress listed off with an astounding amount of veiled disgust. "Nothing that would stick, should it come to that, but the warning is very clear: they're not going to allow this kind of behavior anymore."

"Especially not with the spike in criminal activity and the sheer audacity of those committing the crimes," Ozpin noted. "Things are becoming far more dangerous and the last thing anyone needs are children throwing themselves in the middle of it all."

Ruby could not believe it. This was not how things were supposed to be. She was supposed to become a huntress and help people. She was supposed to be a hero! Her mouth hung open in disbelief, eyes wide as saucers. She thought she was helping, but now the people running the kingdom were demanding her expulsion? It was too much. It was _all_ too much. What was she supposed to do?

Her eyes caught the brunette's and it made her wince. How could she have been so arrogant? Not only did she mess things up for herself and her team, she also involved another team in the process. It was not enough to do it to herself, but she had to bring others into it. She bit her bottom lip and looked back to the headmaster's soft gaze.

"Make no mistake," he pressed on, "your actions are now your own. I've used my influence to help you, but beyond that, there isn't much left I can do. Do not ignore this warning, for your sake. You must be _very_ careful with your next moves." With that, he placed his hands flat on the desk and said, "That will be all. Explain the situation to your teams. Your schedules have been cleared for the rest of the day and your teachers have been notified. Your teammates should be waiting for you in your dorms."

The pair stood slowly and made their way back across the office to the door, Glynda trailing behind to usher them out. They stepped out into the waiting room and entered the suffocatingly small elevator. Had it always been this small?

Ruby's scroll vibrated endlessly as the elevator descended the tower, no doubt her team demanding answers. Judging by the way Yarri furiously tapped away on her scroll, she was dealing with the same. She felt numb. Her mind was having a hard time even processing the situation. What was she supposed to do? What _could_ she do? Professor Ozpin's words rattled around in her head, reverberating off every wall in her head.

 _'It will begin to look intentional to everyone else.'_

The realization hit her like a freight train.

 _This is my fault,_ she thought bitterly. _I shouldn't have encouraged Blake to do this, if only I told her no..._ She felt a sudden pressure on her shoulder and it took her a few seconds to realize it was the other girl in the elevator. She looked up at her to see a soft smile on her lips.

"It's okay, Ruby," the brunette offered with a gentle squeeze, "we just need to be a little more careful from now on. I mean, I don't know about you, but I've had enough fights with big robots for a while."

Ruby smiled a little at her joke, but it died quickly. The redhead shook her head and looked back down at her feet. "This isn't your fault," she said after a few moments.

"It's nobodies' fault," Yarri reassured her.

"That's not true..."

The archer cocked her head at her and asked, "What do you mean?" Ruby found it hard to answer, the words piling up behind the lump in her throat. Yarri faced her fully, a worried expression on her face. "Ruby, what's going on?"

The reaper chewed on her lip, her gut heavy with guilt. She was unsure how to answer her question. What was she supposed to say that would not ruin their friendship? After a few more seconds of contemplation, she decided what was more important. The harsh truth was better than a comforting lie, after all. That was how she wanted to be treated, so it only made sense to extend the same courtesy. She took a deep breath and looked up at her friend.

"We... we haven't told you everything," she said finally.

...

"So," Barrett sighed from his seat at the desk, his arms crossed over his broad chest, "that's it huh?"

"Mhm," Yarri hummed, playing with her bed sheets absentmindedly, "I guess they were looking for the White Fang, got caught, escaped and that's when they ran across us."

Gail let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He was leaning against the bookshelf, listening to the story intently. "What a mess," he grumbled.

Yarri could only nod in agreement. There really was no other way to describe it. Everyone was taking the news surprisingly well, even their churlish final member had listened without so much as a cough to interrupt. She appreciated that, at the very least, even if she dreaded his actual opinion on the matter. She made sure to leave out Blake's specific details and none of them had asked, thankfully. That would have been an awkward conversation to handle.

The silence was eventually broken by said fourth member, his relaxed position from his bed annoying her more than she thought it would. "Seems like you guys pretty much cocked this all up."

"Oh, gee, amazing insight as always, Miotal," Barrett retorted with thick sarcasm dripping from his words, "next you're gonna tell us that the sky is blue or that grass is green!"

The silver-haired teen snorted in wry amusement, "I'm sorry, I figured you guys were smart enough to avoid this kinda bullshit, so I didn't think it needed to be said. I guess I was giving you too much credit after all."

"Oh, Gods," Yarri groaned, planting her face in her palm.

" _Stop_ it, both of you. This isn't the time for this," Gail said in her place before offering her a small nod.

Barrett tore his glare away from the punk just long enough to nod a quick apology to him. Miotal just shrugged. Yarri took that as close to an apology as they were going to get.

"We need to figure something out," she added once the tension had subsided some.

The scoff from the other side of the room pulled her, and the others', attention to the silver-haired teen.

"Seems pretty simple to me," he shrugged.

"Oh, boy, I can't _wait_ to hear _your_ opinion on this!" Barrett sniped, only to be cut off by Gail.

"Barrett, quiet," he ordered, keeping his focus on the punk. "What do you think?"

"Gail, you're not gonna take him seriously, are you?" Barrett demanded in shock.

"Barrett," Gail snapped curtly, "shut up. I don't like him any more than you do, but unless you have an actual idea, I'm willing to hear what he has to say. Like it or not, he's on our team and if he thinks this is serious enough to actually be involved, then I think we should let him say whatever it is he has to say." He turned back to Miotal and gestured for him to continue, pointedly ignoring his best friend's baffled expression.

Even Yarri was caught off-guard, but she had to admit, hearing an opinion not their own would be interesting. After all, if they did not like it, they could always shoot it down.

"I'm honored you think so highly of me," Miotal said neutrally.

"Talk, before I change my mind," he snapped back.

The teen shrugged once, eyelids sliding closed as he nestled his head back into his palms, "I think you should drop 'em."

Everyone was silent for a few moments as his words were slowly processed. Drop them? Did he mean-?

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that. You should've just stayed quiet," Barrett growled angrily almost immediately. He then turned to his friend. "I told you, didn't I?" Gail remained silent, a hand scratching his chin in thought. The berserker's brown eyes narrowed at the other teen in suspicion. "Gail," he said finally, dragging him from his thoughts, "you're not actually considering what he just said, are you?"

"It's not a bad idea," he said finally, after a long pause.

Yarri blinked once before the words finally clicked together. "Gail!"

"What?" he asked as he lifted his hands up to shoulder level, palms turned outward. "I'm serious."

"Oh, _c'mon_ ," he growled, covering his face in his hands, "it's a _horrible_ idea! You can't honestly tell me you like it?"

"No, I obviously don't _like_ it, but I think he has a point."

"No, he doesn't," he protested bitterly, "don't do this."

"Do what? I don't think we have to cut them out of our lives completely, but putting a bit of distance between us might be a good idea."

"This isn't the time to abandon our friends, Gail!" Yarri interjected.

"We don't need to abandon them! We don't need to make any public statements or tell them to shove off. I'm just saying, considering how big this is, it might be smart to take a step back! For everyone's benefit."

"Blow me! The only people that'll benefit from that is us! We'd just be hanging them out to dry!" Barrett yelled back, standing from his chair and stomping toward the shorter teen. "Why are you acting like this?"

"I'm not acting like anything. I think I'm being pretty damned reasonable!" He protested, refusing to back down. "RWBY has gotten themselves into some serious shit that has _nothing_ to do with us! Whatever is happening there, I think it'd be smarter for us to stay as uninvolved with that as we can!"

"So what? Next time they're in danger, we just let them get killed because we'd rather not 'be involved'?"

"That's enough! Barrett! Stop it!" Yarri shouted at him, but he ignored her.

"Of course not! I'm the one that got injured helping them, remember?"

Barrett scoffed and shook his head. "We had to _convince_ you to help them! Remember _that_ part, or did the concussion mess up your memory, too?"

"Get off your high horse, would you?" Gail growled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We both know what this is really about!"

Barrett's face constricted in an livid scowl. "Don't you try to deflect your responsibility!"

"Did you even hear the hypocrisy in your own statement?"

"Gail!" Yarri attempted to get his attention, but it went unheeded. Neither was in any mood to be interrupted, nor were they in the right frame of mind. They were going to argue, no matter what she tried.

"I _know_ what I did and I don't regret it!" The berserker ground out, sticking a finger in his face.

"Neither do I!"

"Sure as hell seems like you do from the way you're talking!" Barrett leered at the shorter teen, taking full advantage of his height over him.

Gail refused to back down, glowering back up at the towering berserker with equal vigor, "What don't you get about this situation?! We are not in a place to start pushing our luck! Ozpin barely managed to keep the Council off our backs and you want to keep kicking that rapier nest?! They want us expelled, or worse! What happened to making your aunt proud, huh? You think she'd be happy if you went off and got yourself arrested? Especially over the White God damned Fang?!"

Barrett recoiled slightly from the comment, but quickly recovered, shaking his head, "When did you lose your balls?!"

"The same time you lost your God damned mind!"

Yarri was off her bed and in between the pair in an instant, attempting to push the two away from each other, to buy some time so they could come to their senses. "The both of you, stop this, right now!"

Barrett ignored her completely, shoving passed her and coming within inches of Gail's face. "Oh, come off it! If anyone's lost their mind, it's you!"

"You can't save the world from the inside of a jail cell! What aren't you getting about that?"

"What the hell are you so scared of?!"

"Look at what's happened!" he snapped, throwing an arm to the side. "We are _way_ out of our league here! We're not the cops, we're not even huntsmen. Not yet. We're supposed to be fighting Grimm, not terrorist groups with Atlesian mech technology and I am _not_ gonna lose a friend because you have a bad history with the White Fang!"

Yarri instantly froze, as did Barrett. She slowly turned toward the tallest member of her team, worry etched on her features. To her shock, Barrett did not seem to have a reaction, or more to the point, he seemed to lose his reaction, his expression almost completely dying, leaving a completely neutral expression. A heavy silence permeated the tense air, like heavy tarp draped across her shoulders, and it remained for far longer than she was comfortable with.

"Are you saying I wanted this?" Barrett asked finally, his brown eyes fixated on his friend's green irises.

Gail let out a weary sigh and scratched his forehead, "No, of course not. But now that we know they're here and they're doing something big- big enough to warrant stealing Paladins- I don't wanna see you using Team RWBY as some kinda misguided excuse for something you'll regret."

"Do you really think I'd use my friends like that?" he asked with a vicious edge.

"No, I don't. Not intentionally, at least. I do think it'll make way more willing to follow whatever it is they might do because you don't realize how it's affecting your judgement."

Barrett took a few steps back as he considered Gail's words. Yarri was at a complete loss, unable to say or do anything. She wanted to comfort her friend, but she was not entirely sure how she would even go about it. What could she say or do when she had no idea what was even going on?

"Don't pretend there isn't a problem, Barrett," the hunter continued unimpeded. "Have you even seen the counselor, like Ozpin asked?"

"I'm not pretending, because there _is_ no problem. The past is the past, _leave_ it there," he seethed through gritted teeth. "It's not your place to bring it up."

Gail looked away, carefully mulling over his next words. Finally, his eyes met his friend's once more. "If it's buried, prove it. Leave the White Fang to the Council. I don't want to hear about you running off on your own."

Three sharp raps on their door ripped everyone's attention to the source. The teens exchanged a few quick glances before looking back at the door where another three knocks sounded through the dorm room. Yarri was the first to move, making her way over to front of the room before opening it.

"Uncle Quil?" she said, a relieved smile breaking out, thankful for the distraction.

"Hey, kiddo. I hope we're not interrupting something," he said, ruffling her hair.

"No, we're just having a... team discussion."

"Sure, I gotcha," he nodded passively, scanning the room over her head before locking eyes with the tallest student in the room. "You Barrett Unger?" he asked.

Barrett furrowed his brow before crossing his arms defiantly. "Yeah, who's asking?"

"VPD," the older man informed him, reaching into his shirt pocket and flashing his badge, "we got some questions for you."

...

Barrett sat quietly in an interrogation room, glaring at the one-way mirror. He had no idea if anyone was actually behind it, but it made him feel better to think there was. He had been sitting in here alone for damn near twenty minutes without so much as an inkling as to why, likely to make him sweat, and he would show his displeasure to anyone he saw fit.

The good news was that he was not chained to the table, which probably meant that he was not actually under arrest for anything. He took a small amount of comfort in that. Still, he was not the most patient of people on a good day, and today was most certainly not that. He had half a mind to walk out right now, but the only thing keeping him in the chair was the implication that might have on him. However, after another few minutes of waiting, his patience had all but evaporated, consequences be damned.

The door finally swung open just as he was rising out of the uncomfortable metal chair, and two men, dressed in white dress shirts and black slacks walked in, one of which he identified as his team leader's uncle.

"Got somewhere to be, Barrett?" the other man, a stocky brute with brown hair and a full beard, snarked as he stalled in front of the only exit.

"Homework," he lied, mostly out of annoyance, "I'm sure you understand."

"It can wait," the man sneered, crossing his arms.

"Not really," Barrett pressed as he edged closer to the door.

"It'll have to," the man remarked, clearly unperturbed by the huntsman.

Barrett looked to the other officer, quirking a brow at him. "Flass," he ordered cooly before waving a hand at his partner. "Sit down, Barrett," the man said exasperatedly as he took the seat at the other end of the table, "please."

The brutish man made a noise halfway between a scoff and a grunt, but followed the other man's instructions regardless. Barrett sighed quietly and eased himself back into the chair as the other officer made his way around the table and sat on the corner, staring intently at the teen all the while.

Barrett looked back at the blonde officer, who sat across from him. He flipped open the manila folder in his hands and thumbed through it nonchalantly. "Barrett, I'm Detective Quil Meadow and this is my partner, Detective Corr Flass. We'd like to ask you some questions," he began distractedly as he continued reading something in the folder.

"Okay?" the berserker said with a bit of confusion as he crossed his arms.

Seemingly satisfied, he closed the file and tossed it onto the table before leaning back in the chair. "Do you need anything before we begin?" he asked, clearly out of obligation.

"Can we just get whatever this is started? I told you, I got homework."

"Fair enough," he nodded before leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table. "Do you know a Marona Messier?" Quil continued, eyes locked with his.

"No, should I?"

"Yeah, you should," Flass barked out, "she was a girl trying to transfer to Beacon, along with you and your little team."

Barrett shrugged as he lazed back into the chair, "There were a lotta people transferring, I don't remember them all."

"This girl," Quil said as he slid a picture across the table.

Barrett looked down at the small photo. He frowned instantly but wiped it away a second later. "Oh yeah, her. What about her?"

"Well, it says here that you had an incident with her about two months ago. Care to explain?"

"Not much to explain, really," Barrett shrugged nonchalantly, eyes locked with the detective's.

"I guess a 'dangerous loss of composure' means 'not much' to a huntsman," Flass sneered.

Barrett rolled his eyes and glared at the other detective, "It's a combat school, first and foremost. Sometimes, tempers run a little high. What'd you expect?"

"I might buy that, if she weren't a faunus."

Barrett cocked his head at the man, his patience having been officially ground into the dirt by a boot worn by a smug sack of shit in an ill-fitting tie and slacks. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded, his tone biting.

Flass shrugged his shoulders slightly and raised his hands in the air. "You tell me, I'm not the one with a dicey history with faunus."

Barrett ground his teeth together and glowered at the bearded man, "You got something to say?"

"I'm just stating the facts, kid. Dead dad, White Fang, a whole lotta records from different combat schools about you and faunus students, paints a bad picture."

"Are you gonna make a real point or just spew statistics at me all day?" Barrett snarled as he slammed a finger into the photo in front of him. "What's this bullshit 'good cop, bad cop' routine gotta do with her?"

Quil leaned back and rested a foot on his opposite leg. "Do you know where she is?"

Barrett's head snapped toward the other detective, leering at him before taking a calming breath. "Why would I? I think it was pretty clear that we weren't gonna be friends when she dropped out."

"She's missing, Barrett."

The information hit him like a truck, leaving Barrett wide-eyed and mouth agape. He blinked a few times and regained his composure after a couple of seconds before frowning. "You think I did it?"

"Why don't you tell us why you transferred from Haven?" Quil said instead as he turned his attention back to the folder.

"There's nothing to tell. I didn't like it there, so I transferred."

"What didn't you like about it?" the detective pressed, not looking up from the papers in his hands. "The curriculum or the student body?"

"What does it matter?"

"Answer the damn question," Flass grunted, placing a hand on the table.

Barrett rolled his eyes and shrugged, "The curriculum. I'm assuming you got my record in there? I'm not the best student in the world, if you can't tell. I thought maybe a change would fix that."

"Interesting. Says here you took Miss Messier's spot, too."

The teen sighed heavily and nodded. "Yes, I did. Look, I didn't like the girl, but that doesn't mean I would hurt her."

Quil suddenly leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table, his hardened eyes locked on the teen's. "I think you'll understand why we can't just take your word for it," he said matter-of-factly.

"You're the only lead, and a pretty big one at that. You know, when the White Fang kill someone you close to you, especially when you're a kid, it can lead to harboring certain... beliefs," Flass said delicately, but the smugness in his tone implied anything but.

"Don't talk like you know me," Barrett hissed through gritted teeth.

"I think I know you well enough from your file there to make a guess."

"Alright, alright," Quil said as a tired sigh escaped his lips and he rubbed his eyes, "let's all calm down and start from the beginning-"

"Am I under arrest?" he interrupted quickly.

The two detectives glanced at each other before looking back at the teen. "Not presently, no," Quil answered tentatively.

"Then we're done here," Barrett declared as he stood from his chair and made for the door. Both detectives were on their feet in an instant, Flass reaching him first, placing a hand on the door knob.

"Where you going, kid?" he said, a scowl plastered on his face.

"I told you, homework." He turned to the blond detective and said, "If I'm not under arrest, then you can't keep me here."

Quil frowned slightly before reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes closed. "You're right," he sighed, "you're free to go if you want."

"Wha- Meadow!" Flass snapped, head whipping to his partner. "We can't just-"

"Flass!" the blond snapped back, eyes opening to meet the man's gaze. "Enough. You can go, Barrett."

Flass looked back and forth between the two before shrinking under the other man's stern glare. He let out an angered snarl and took a step away from the door, allowing the teen to exit.

Once they were the only two in the room, he turned back to his partner. "This is bullshit, we can't keep letting huntsman do whatever they want!"

"You wanna explain to a lawyer why we illegally detained a suspect?" Quil shot back. His question was only met with silence. "That's what I thought. He might be huntsman, but he still has rights."

"Yeah, 'rights'," Flass repeated flippantly before exiting the room.

Barrett stormed down the hall, his feet thumping against the emerald carpet. He was already in a shit mood and the interrogation had only exasperated that. It was one thing to question him, it was another thing entirely to not only accuse him of something he had no knowledge of, but to also dredge up bad memories for the sake of painting as worse a picture as they could. Damn them for it, even if it was their job.

He made his way around the winding halls, glowering at anyone who even so much as glanced at him. First, he had to find out that the Council blamed his team for Torchwick's crimes, then he found out that his best friend, someone he thought he could rely on, was willing to hang another team out to dry because it was more convenient for him. Now, he was implicated in a missing persons case? The day was just finding more and more ways to piss him off, and it was not even dinner time.

Just as he reached the door to the waiting room, he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder and spin him around. His furious gaze landed on the stocky detective who stared back, daggers in his eyes.

"We might not be able to pin anything on you now, but don't think you're out of it yet," the man seethed at him. "If we find so much as a parking ticket, your ass is mine."

"I won't be holding my breath," Barrett shot back, taking immense satisfaction in the frustrated vein that protruded from the man's forehead. "Can I go now?"

The man's scowl only deepened, but he took a step back nonetheless.

As Barrett pushed the doors open, he could hear the man shout after him, "Watch yourself, huntsman!"

...

Blake perused the book shelves with half-hearted interest, pulling out different books to read the summaries before giving up and slotting them back into place. The recent news shook her more than she would ever care to admit. The White Fang were a threat, why could nobody see that? Her team had done more to disrupt their plans than anything the police had done in months and yet the Council wanted them to stop. She gave a heavy sigh as she failed to focus on yet another book before placing it back on the shelf in front of her.

She pulled another book off the shelf, hoping the words on the cover would distract her from her thoughts. She scanned the first few lines before her thoughts broke through and shattered her focus. With a frown she attempted one more time before giving up entirely when it was clear it was not going to work. What was wrong with the Council? Could they not see the threat right in front of them? The White Fang were planning something big and if no one was going to help them, then she would do it herself. She _had_ to.

But what if she was caught? There was more at stake than just her new career. No, she could not let that stop her. She would-

"Why am I not surprised to see you here?"

The words startled her, causing her to jump slightly. She jerked her entire body to face the source, book pressed against her chest in an instinctive defensive gesture, only to relax slightly when she finally identified the voice.

"What do you want, Barrett?" she asked rather brusquely.

"Woah, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he responded, hands raised in front of him. "I saw you through the window so I thought I'd say hi."

Blake let out a small huff and brushed her bangs out of her face. "Right, sorry. I didn't mean to sound so upset."

"It's fine, I understand."

 _Yes, I guess you would._ "I'll admit, I wouldn't expect you to say hi," she said as she put the book back and picked out another.

Barrett cocked his head at her, "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, we're not exactly friends," she said bluntly.

"Ouch," he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck, "I didn't know you felt that way."

Blake stiffened slightly and looked at him, "No, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant."

"It's fine, Blake, I get it. We're not very close."

"Well, that and after what happened. You were pulled into our problems and now you're in the same position we are. I figured you'd be upset."

Barrett chuckled lightly and turned toward the bookshelf himself. "Oh, that, right. I'm not too broken up over it," he responded honestly.

Blake quirked a brow at him before turning back to the book in her hands, "Really?"

"Yeah, there's nothing to be sorry about," he shrugged as he pulled a random book off the shelf, obviously an obligatory action, rather than one of interest. "The White Fang needed to be stopped, so we stopped them."

"That's a very... interesting way of looking at it."

"Guess I'm just an interesting guy," he joked as he dug a hand into his pocket and retrieved his scroll. "So, how come you're here and not at Beacon?" he asked distractedly, barely fighting back a frown as he opened screen.

"I could ask you the same thing," she responded as she watched him ignore the call and shove the device back into his pocket.

"I had something to take care of in the city, but I'm not quite ready to head back yet."

"Are you still fighting with your team?"

Barrett scratched his ear sheepishly before glancing at her. "So, you heard that, huh?"

"I'd be surprised to hear anyone didn't," she answered lightheartedly.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I'm not too worried about it, though, just a little bump. We'll get over it."

"Good to see you're so optimistic."

"Shit happens. It'd be pretty dumb if we let this break us apart, you know?" he offered with a shrug as he scanned the back of book in his hands.

Blake nodded, "I do." _More than you know,_ she finished to herself. A thought struck her suddenly. They still had no idea about her. Should she...? Blake shook her head. _Not now. There's something I need to know first._ She took a deep breath before turning to him. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you," she said quieter than she intended.

"Hm?" Barrett hummed, not meeting her gaze.

She cleared her throat and steeled her nerves. She had to know. "How do you feel about faunus?"

The teen looked up from the book and blinked in surprise before looking at her. "What?"

"How do you feel about faunus?" she repeated with more force.

"Where is this coming from?"

"Well, you seem to act differently around faunus. First, what happened at the exhibition matches. Then, you acted completely dismissive of Sun." She looked him in the eyes, her gaze made of pure steel. "So, how do you feel about faunus?"

Barrett's eyes flicked down to the floor as he began to mull over what to say. Blake could not help feeling a small bit of regret about asking. She had no intention of making him feel guilty, but she had to know. If they were to know about her, there could not be any doubts.

"Blake, I don't have anything against faunus," he answered firmly before sighing. "Listen, what happened at the exhibition matches... I'm not proud of it, if that's what you're asking. It really had nothing to do with her being a faunus. I just... I lost myself for a moment and I regret it. And Sun, I don't know. He's just not my kind of guy." He turned back to the bookshelf and pushed the book back into its place before sighing quietly. "Look, if there's some kind of problem between us, I'd rather know now, so I can work on fixing it."

There was an earnestness in his eyes that calmed Blake. His words seemed to be sincere. But there was still a feeling she had that made her pause; it was something in her gut, indescribable to anyone but herself. He was a mystery. His actions said one thing, but the sincerity in his words said another. Words were just words, however, something she learned in her days at the White Fang.

Blake finally shook her head and said, "There's no problem. I was just curious."

Barrett's brow furrowed some, but relented all the same. "Alright, then."

Blake looked down at the book in her hands. It was a personal favorite of hers, one she did not realize she had picked up in her distracted state. She held it out toward him and smiled slightly, "I've got to get going, but if you're interested in getting into reading, I'd recommend this one."

He looked down at it and accepted it hesitantly, eyes tracing the cover. " _The Man With Two Souls_ , huh? Okay, I'll give it a shot. Thanks."

Blake nodded and moved around him, making her way to the door. He had not quite put her mind at ease, but it was a step. Maybe he could convince her soon. She hated keeping this secret, but it was necessary. She had to be careful about how she let it out. She made that mistake with her team, losing her cool over something that was, the more she looked back on it, remarkably trivial. She still felt justified, but the things she had said and done. It worked out in the end, and she was all the happier for it, but it had caused all of them an undeniable amount of stress.

"Hey, Blake," he called out suddenly, making her stop just at the door, hand on the doorknob. "You sure we're cool?"

Blake looked back at him and nodded. "Yeah, we're okay."

"Alright," Barrett smiled and held the book up. "Thanks again for the recommendation."

"Of course," she returned before opening the door and slipping by a new customer.

...

The ride into the city was quiet, to say the least, as neither Gail nor Yarri wanted to be the first one to speak. They had waited for a time back in their dorm room, but when they heard nothing after over an hour and more than a few missed calls later, they decided to look for him. Gail could feel the tension from their fight looming over them even now, talking to the officer behind the front desk. Yarri's conversation with the man, Halpert, if he remembered correctly, was light, filled with small jokes as they spoke, yet he could still feel a distinct sense of hesitance in her. It was small, but noticeable. There was a reluctance as she probed for information, almost like she did not want to ask. Gail glanced at his leader and frowned slightly. Her lips were pulled down at the corners, easy to miss had he not been looking for it, and her gaze was nothing short of vicious.

Eventually, they got to the heart of the matter, only to be let down by the news that he had already left. They walked down the granite steps outside the VPD building in silence. Gail scratched the back of his head and turned to her. "You think he went back to Beacon?" he asked, more to break the quiet than it was an actual suggestion.

"You can head back if you want," she answered with a noncommittal shrug as she continued on, "I'll keep looking."

"Uh, that's alright. If he did then we'll see him tonight," he mumbled, trailing behind her.

Gail could feel the hostility permeating from his leader, as could most of the people on the street, judging by the way they were giving her as wide a berth as possible. He was not quite sure if it was directed at him or at the situation as a whole, but it was beginning to wear on him. There was a uneasiness hanging over them at all times, no matter how many times he attempted to start a conversation. His words were consistently met with terse answers or outright silence, receiving no more than a shrug. Her abrasiveness toward him was draining both his energy and his patience. Wandering the city in search of their stubborn friend who had to be intentionally ignoring their calls was not doing anything to better his mood either.

They stopped off in the occasional shop to inquire about their friend, as well as asking random people on the streets, but they turned up nothing every time. As they aimlessly wandered the streets, Gail was becoming increasingly aware of the dirty looks and glares he and his leader were receiving. With the sun hanging lower in the sky with each passing second, Gail was filled with a small sense of worry. _No, it'll be fine. He's a trained huntsman. Nobody would try anything._

The sun finally dipped just below the tops of the surrounding buildings, bathing the city in darkness. The street lamps flickered on overhead, illuminating the darkening city, along with the lights from various businesses and the apartments above. The lively crowds gradually dispersed to an occasional passerby. The hostile feeling weighing on Gail's shoulder only grew as the few remaining eyes that were left on the street began to settle on him and his teammate, his aura flaring ever-so-slightly in every direction. The air grew tense as his muscles stiffened instinctively. He casually withdrew his hands from his jacket pockets, just in case. He was not going to let himself be caught off guard.

"Hey," he called out to his leader, his eyes scanning each pedestrian around them, "it's getting late. I think we should head back."

Yarri shook her head. "I can keep looking. If you want to, you can go ahead. I'll meet up with you when I find Barrett."

"If he hasn't headed back yet, he will soon. We'll see him back at the room," he pressed, picking his pace up some to catch up with her.

"Go ahead then. Call me if he's there and I'll come right back." Gail let out a heavy sigh and caught her arm, spinning her around to face him. "What?" she asked impatiently.

"I _really_ think we should head back now," he said again with more force.

"I'm not going anywhere until I find Barrett," she protested, pulling away from him. "I don't know why you don't want to find your friend."

"This isn't about him," Gail continued, gesturing to their surroundings with a subtle nod.

Yarri furrowed her brow, but she seemed to understand. "I know," she huffed angrily, "I've been seeing it too. That's why I want to find him."

"He can handle himself," he pressed as the crowd drew in some.

"And I can't?" she asked with a bite of offense before he could continue.

"No, it's not that. It's..." he caught the admission in his throat, but he managed to change the words, "the more of us around, the more looks we're gonna draw and someone might do something stupid."

"Whatever," she groused, pivoting on her heel and stomping away, "leave then."

"Yarri, wait! Hang on!" Gail called, following after her. He managed to catch her arm once more and she whirled around to face him, jerking away from him. "What is up with you?"

"What do you think?" she demanded, throwing her arms down at her sides.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you. Is it me?"

"Yes!" she growled out. "What is wrong with you? First, you don't want to help Yang and Blake, then you want to leave RWBY alone to deal with all this crap, and now all you want to do is go back to the room and leave Barrett by himself?"

"I haven't dpne anything!" Gail protested, his patience waning by the second. "Both you and Barrett bring that up, but I was just pointing out that we weren't prepared to take on a God damned mech! And I said, 'we might want to _consider_ taking a step back.' Why is that such a bad thing?"

"It's a 'bad thing' because we're a team!"

"And I get that-"

"Do you?" Yarri interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. "How can I trust you to have my back, or Barrett's, or even Miotal's if all you've done is 'suggest' running away? How do I know you won't do that to us if we get into a bad situation on a mission?"

The hunter recoiled from her words. His eyes were wide and his jaw agape as he struggled to come up with something to say. "I- you..." he stammered as his mind raced. Everything in his mind told him to stay calm, that she was upset and she was venting. His mind told him she did not mean what she was saying, but he could not control himself. The entire day had been one blow after the other; Ozpin, the argument, Barrett disappearing, wandering the city with her passive-aggressive shrugs and curt words, the disapproving stares and disgusted scoffs by random passersby, the quiet comments they made when they thought he was out of earshot, and now _this_. He was done.

"What kind of terrible leader blames all of her insecurities on one person?" he chided her firmly, his mouth set in a thin line, his brow furrowed in frustration and anger. "You want to find Barrett? Fine. You can use him as a whipping post." "Maybe you're right," he continued on, his voice thick with contempt, "maybe I am some kind of coward. But if you think I'm gonna stick around and take this shit all day long, you've got another thing coming."

He turned around and took a few steps away before stopping and turning back to her. _Don't say it, you God damn idiot!_ he commanded himself. _You've already made things worse, and you're only gonna dig that hole deeper when you have to apologize!_ His own protests fell on deaf ears as he saw her face once more. Her features softened, pushed onto her back foot. Her watering eyes, brimming with tears, only seemed to upset him more. He leaned in, his lips pulling back in a snarl. "Ozpin made a mistake choosing you. You can't handle this job."

With that, he marched away, leaving her in a stunned silence, along with the small crowd that had formed. Gail frowned and attempted to swallow past the knot in his throat. Guilt gripped his stomach like a fist, making him nauseous. He already hated himself for what he said and the eyes he could feel on his back only added to that feeling.

But despite himself, despite the tightness in his chest, he kept walking.

...

Yarri remained glued to her spot, standing on shaky legs as her mind attempted to catch up with her. Had Gail really...? She swallowed thickly as she watched her teammate disappear around the corner, no doubt heading for the bullhead port. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm, sniffling lightly. She let her frustration and anger get to her. She called him a coward, an untrustworthy teammate. She deserved everything he had said to her. What kind of leader yells at her charge for attempting to keep them safe?

Gail was right: Ozpin _did_ make a mistake. He must have.

The brunette took a step to follow him, to apologize, but froze as a loud _crack_ pierced through the early evening sky, reverberating off of the brick buildings surrounding her. She immediately looked behind her, following the sound of the gunshot. It was close. She could hear the people around her mumble concerned questions to each other and a few even pulled out their scrolls, most likely to call police. She looked back toward the direction her teammate had gone, but ultimately turned back and rushed toward the source.

She pushed through the dwindling crowds as she made her way down the street, a thousand questions racing through her mind. Who fired the gun? Why did they fire it? Who was shot? Why? Were they hurt? Could she help them if they were?

She came to a stop in front of a large crowd of people, many dressed in sweats and hastily thrown on coats, and pushed her way through them. The first thing she saw was the man she had been looking for, fists clenched and breathing heavily. The second was the man laying on the floor, hands clutching a seeping wound on his leg as he rocked on his back, tears streaming down his face, biting out curses and growling in pain through his clenched teeth. A pistol lay discarded on the ground a few feet away, the barrel still smoking slightly.

"Barrett?" she asked in confusion as she took a few tentative steps into the bookstore. "W-What the hell happened?"

Barrett only glanced at her, choosing instead to keep his eyes focused on the injured man. "This guy came in and pulled a gun on me," he explained as he crouched down and leaned over the man. "He took a shot at me, but it didn't work out for him, did it, bud?" he asked him, gripping him by the hair and lifting his head up.

The man only growled at him before wincing in pain and clenching his eyes shut.

"Who is he?" she asked nervously.

"No idea," he answered as he released the man's hair, "he wasn't exactly talkative when he whipped that piece out. He kept saying, 'She's gone,' but he never said anything else." He gave the man a light slap across the face to get his attention before asking, "Hey, shit-stain, who the hell are you?"

"She's gone!" the man hissed in agony. "You should be fucking _dead_!" The man turned his head to look at her and shouted, "The both of you!"

Yarri recoiled in shock at his words and the sheer vitriol he said them with. The lines on Barrett's face creased as he scowled. "Who's gone? What are you on about?" he demanded.

The man began shaking his head as a fresh stream of tears began rolling down his cheeks. The broken man continued to mumble the same phrase over and over again, ignoring any attempts they made to get his attention. Yarri could feel a knot form in her gut, threatening to push her breakfast back up. What was he talking about? The man was so angry, so infuriated, that it terrified her. This was not a random mugging or some crazed individual. He had been wronged somehow, and it was all focused on her and her teammate.

A series of emergency sirens came into earshot, growing by the second. Barrett turned and looked back out the door and toward the crowd before letting out a sigh and standing to his full height. He then looked to Yarri and said, "C'mon, let's clear out of here. The cops'll take care him."

The pair waited outside the bookstore for the emergency responders to show up, which did not take long. Within minutes, multiple squad cars rolled up, driving up onto the curb, followed closely by a paramedics truck. Several police officers moved into the bookstore, clearing out any more possible shooters and hostages. After several minutes, the medics rolled in with a gurney and any medical supplies they might need as two uniformed officers created a perimeter, pushing away the crowd and attempting to set up a clear crime scene. As the medics wheeled the man out of the store on the gurney, Yarri could not help locking eyes with the man, her eyes filled with anxiety and worry. The man glowered back, his gaze far more venomous than anything he could ever say.

The two teens were pulled aside by an officer to take their statements. Barrett recounted the story to the officer as the brunette sat in silence, only offering her side of things when prompted. She was too stunned by the events to give the situation her attention. What could she or Barrett have possibly done to the man to deserve such an action? Any thoughts that came to her were dashed down almost immediately. Maybe he _was_ just crazed. It was possible. But the man seemed so _sure_ of himself. Were they really to blame? Then it hit her. The thought struck her like a hammer and she felt like throwing up.

"Yarri!" the familiar voice snapped her out of her macabre thoughts. She looked up to see the welcome face of her father.

"Dad!" she called back as he approached, allowing him to scoop her up in his arms. She fully returned the embrace.

"Baby, are you okay?" he asked as he set her down and placed his hands gingerly on her cheeks.

"Yes, I am, I'm fine," she responded with a smile.

The captain breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes locked on hers. "I'm glad you're okay. What happened?"

"I don't know. By the time I showed up, everything was already over."

Her father nodded before turning to the towering figure of her teammate, leaned against the hood of the police cruiser, his hands in his pockets. "You're Barrett, right?"

"I am," he nodded as he pushed off the vehicle and stepped up to the older man.

"I see you can't stay off our radar for more than a few hours," he said matter-of-factly.

"It's not on purpose, trust me," the berserker reassured him.

"I hope not," he offered,"for your sake."

An officer stepped up to his superior and whispered something into his ear. The captain nodded solemnly and turned to his daughter. "Okay, I need you two to go straight back to Beacon, no pit stops," he ordered.

"But-" Yarri started, only for Barrett to stop her by placing her hand on her shoulder.

"Of course," he said instead, urging his teammate away from the crime scene.

"But dad, wait!" she called out, pulling away from the towering teen.

"Yarri, we'll talk later," he assured her, "please go."

The brunette paused at his words, debating her actions. She felt put a hand on her shoulder again and gently pull her away. "C'mon, Short Stuff," he pressed gingerly, "let's get outta here."

...

The flight back to Beacon was uncomfortably quiet. Being the only ones on the bullhead only added to the oppressive silence, only broken by the thrum of the engine. Yarri could not shake the feeling she had. Had this really been their fault? She did not know, but she had an idea. Was it possible that the man had...? But if so, that was in no way their fault!

She felt Barrett nudge her leg with his and she turned her head toward him. He seemed to sense her struggle as he smiled reassuringly at her. "You okay?" he asked over the sound of the engine.

That was a good question. Was she okay? She had no clue. "I... I don't know. Do you think he was right?"

Barrett cocked his head at her. "Who was?" he asked.

"That guy, at the bookstore. Was it our fault, whatever happened to him?"

"No, of course not," he denied quickly, waving a dismissive hand. "He's looking for someone to blame."

"But if he's right? Remember what Ozpin said about the incident. People were hurt. Do you think-?"

"No," he interrupted forcefully, staring straight ahead, "absolutely not. Torchwick and the White Fang need to answer for everything that's happened."

Yarri looked down at her hands resting on her thighs. She lifted them and flipped them over, holding them palms up. She clenched them shut and let out a heavy sigh.

"I hope you're right," she mumbled quietly.

* * *

 _So, new chapter, obviously, that took months to write because I'm a lazy piece of shit. I've also been re-watching Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) again, and god damn that's a good show. I know it gets a lot of shit, but I absolutely love it. In a lot of ways, I actually like it more than Brotherhood and I'll fight you to the death, Thunderdome-style, motherf*cker. As an aside (on top of an aside, because there's absolutely no structure to this terrible story and I wouldn't want anyone to get the idea that I have the slightest clue as to what the f*ck I'm doing), just because an anime is faithful to the manga (which Brotherhood isn't completely faithful), doesn't mean it's automatically better. Don't get me wrong, I love both the manga and Brotherhood, but I just like '03 more._

 _Guess I should stop stalling, huh? So yes, lots o' drama, but the good kinda drama. The character developing kinda drama. I hope it goes without saying that I'm trying to give my characters flaws and problems to deal with because nobody likes flawless Mary Sues. I hope the drama was handled well and incorporated pretty seamlessly into the chapter. I also wanna point out that in the arguments, nobody is really supposed to be right. You can and probably will find one side or the other to agree with, but it's pretty clear that everyone lost their cool and were pretty much dicks to each other._

 _First F-bomb of the story, which will definitely corrupt the youth, (unless you include my liberal use of it in the ANs, in which case, they're already corrupted) and stuff is set up as things ramp up more. This is a little late to mention, but it was pointed out to me somewhat recently that ch. 7 was a really boring chapter and after rereading it, I kinda agree. I think there's some entertaining stuff in there, but overall my eyes want to glaze over. So I hope the last couple chapters have managed to keep your attention well enough._

 _So, like I said, drama unfolds. I said it in the last AN too, but I hate how little a lot of the overarching plot really affects the main cast until V3. Think about it. They stop Torchwick from stealing the Dust at the V1 finale, but nothing happens to any of them. RWBY doesn't get in trouble for vigilantism, nor does Torchwick deal with Cinder for failiing, even though it's revealed they're working together at that point. I already pointed out the Paladin thing, but just to go back to it real fast. What does them destroying the Paladin actually do? Does it stop the White Fang from having more? Nope, they just have as many as they need. Okay, how about the train? Nah, that went down exactly as they needed it to, no problem. It might've been interesting if that wasn't supposed to happen that early, or if the train_ was _supposed to be the original attack on Beacon, but it got buggered up_ _and_ _Cinder was able to salvage it last second. But no, it was all according to keikaku._

 _It isn't big when you first see it, but once you notice it, it can never be unnoticed. So, sorry about that._

 _Anyhoo, I've droned on, like I do, so I'll seeya soon._

 _P.S. I've started a new story that I'll be working in tandem with this one. This story will take precedence over the other, though. I started the other one because I came up with some ideas that I don't think really fits with this story, but I still wanted to used. There's definitely a lot more pre-thought put into that story than there was this one. You know, plot shit and little background details, like the names of the characters, their weapons, the team name, all dat good shit. If any y'all are interested it's called BWDA._


End file.
